For sports heroes government must consider innovative funding including legalising betting

For sports heroes government must consider innovative funding including legalising betting

While laying the foundation stone for the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said young Indians should be encouraged to take up sports as their profession. The thought is good. But the reality is forbidding. Sporting infrastructure in the country remains subpar. True, India just had its best showing at the Olympics when it won seven medals at the Tokyo Games last year, including Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in the men’s javelin event. However, the fact remains that barring cricket other sports in the country lack an ecosystem of professionalism and excellence.

Money for nurturing talent rarely gets funnelled to the grassroots where it is needed. Instead, it is mostly directed towards the few top athletes with international medal-winning potential. It is no surprise then that Indian parents don’t see sports as a viable career option for their children. After all, that can only happen if the government is willing to support not just the Neeraj Chopras but also those who fall short of that level of excellence. Money is also required to train coaches, support staff and advisers.

This is why countries like the US that are at the apex of international sports have strong sporting cultures in universities that not just produce top-ranked athletes but also employ trainers, sports doctors and scientists. But without a similar university set-up in India, it is the government that has to think of innovative ways to massively increase funding for sports. One model worth considering is the UK’s national lottery funding for sports. If sports betting were to be legalised in India and taxed, it would yield substantial funding for creating sports talent hubs across the country. Legalised betting would also check illegal bookmaking and its link to match-fixing mafia. So, it is a win-win. And once credible sports ecosystems crop up, private investors will automatically be drawn in, making sports professionally viable.