Topic started by peacemaker (@ 203.116.11.118) on Mon Oct 28 05:46:29 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Kerala athletes hit out at 'north-Indian lobby'






Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28

India's top athletes, who won medal for the country in the Busan Asian Games, today squarely blamed a 'North Indian lobby' for hampering the prospects of sportspersons from the South.

The medal-winners from Kerala, including golden girl K M Beenamol, Anju Bobby George and Bobby Aloysius, were speaking at a Meet-the-Press prgamme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club.

Beenamol regretted that Indian athletes were not getting adequate training to face their counterparts from other countries.

''Yes, it is true that we are getting adequate training under Indian conditions. But when it comes to international level, we lagged far behind others.''

In India, training camps, ahead of a major sports event, would always be set up at one place, forcing the athletes to undergo training there during all the seasons. In other countries, training camps were set up at different places to suit the climatic conditions, she added.

Highjump silver medallist Bobby Aloysius, who was excluded from the previous Asiad Indian contingent, said 'North Indian politics' was hampering the prospects of many athletes from the Southern states.

''Take the case of Manjima who was supposed to be in the 4X400 relay team. She was dropped and another person was included at the last moment... All due to certain dirty politics.''

''Even in my case, I was denied an opportunity last time. I could have won a medal four years ago. But they simply denied permission on the ground that India did not have a chance in highjump event.

Now it is proved that it was a wrong concept,'' she added

Responses:

Want to post a response?