The curtains went up on the 37th edition of the National Games on Thursday with a glitzy opening ceremony show blended with fireworks, song and dance, and, to top it all, a spirited speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was the prime minister's presence that was the focus of the evening, but the success story of Babu Gaonkar, a 22-year-old tribal from Netravali village in Sanguem, became the talking point as the Games unfolded.
Goa was ready for a heroic welcome to the prime minister. Roads, electrical fixtures, plants, pavements, and entry-exit points got a touch of freshness, road rumblers and speak-breakers were being levelled with hot mix and repainted with stripes of white till the wee hours of the morning, and work continued later till afternoon. Authorities left no stone unturned to ensure that the State presented itself in all its splendour.
Coincidentally, while the State was busy creating an environment of sporting nostalgia, sporting glory seemed entirely out of focus until the Netravali lad took everyone by surprise. And all conversations veered around Goa's chances at the Games.
Babu won a gold medal in Modern Pentathlon, a lesser-known sport in Goa, and later a silver medal in the doubles event in the same discipline. There was also a bronze for Goa in another category.
Babu's success story in Modern Pentathlon should serve as an example to those writing off Goans in sports, mainly because his victory came under testing times, having only begun full training in August this year. Known for his marathon running skills, Babu tried his hand at a sport that he was never familiar with since it included fencing, swimming, shooting and riding, besides running.
Some of India's finest sporting success stories have taken root in villages. Neeraj Chopra's journey began in a Haryana village, and there are Hima Das, Mirabai Chanu, Lovina Borgohain, Deepika Kumari, Vijay Kumar, Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar and many others who have risen from the unknown to be jewels in India's sporting crown. Goa speaks of sports talents, but why is it not showing? In his speech, the prime minister briefly touched upon the hidden talent in Goa; the question is why it is not tapped.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stressed that the best infrastructure for future training will be available for local athletes. We ask once again: Can infrastructure alone get us results? Babu's success amplifies that infrastructure may not be the crucial component. Goa raised many footballers of international recognition in the past without any infrastructure and State support. Sporting success extends beyond the bragging talk of stadiums and other allied systems.
Goa's track record in the National Games has been pathetic all through, but did we make an effort to improvise? The only spark shown was in the Jharkhand Games in 2011 when Goa won 16 medals. In other editions, the performances have been below par. We won 3 medals in the 1999 Games in Manipur, four medals in 2001 (Punjab), 7 in 2002 (Andhra Pradesh) and 5 in 2007 (Assam). The tally in recent years may have marginally improved, but we still figure somewhere at the bottom.
For a State which boasts of its infrastructure and projects itself as a sporting destination, the results are embarrassing and expose a complete failure in spotting and nurturing talent. Banking on outstation athletes to cover our failures is disgraceful and against the spirit of sportsmanship.
