Nagadarsan Suresh
50th best athletic country in the world
Slovenia, Dominican Republic and
Zimbabwe?
 Size
 Stability
 Diversity

Indian sports
Minus cricket that is..
 IPL, huge contracts, dedicated fans and
demi-gods

Efforts at grassroots level
C.K. Kesavan memorial school,
Koruthodu
 K.P. Thomas, the legendary coach
 Pension Fund
 Trained Shiny Wilson (Asian Games
double gold), Anju Bobby George
(Olympian and world no.4), Jincy Philips
 170 young athletes for free

Efforts at grassroots level
Paralympic Archery Federation of India
in Ahmednagar
 To encourage physically challenged girls
to take up the sport
 Sponsorship and donations in the first
year
 110 researchers per million, as opposed
to 633 in China and 5000 in Japan

Efforts by MNCs
National sport
 Efforts by ESPN Star
 Bringing hockey to a more affluent
audience
 Falling revenues since the second year
 FIFA’s several initiatives in Bengal and
Kerala

Mike Miltner
Miltner’s story
Burned out ski instructor
 Bought snowboard models from a
bankrupt company
 Bi-Skis
 Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy,
children with Down Syndrome

The bane
Innovation is interpreted in several ways
 The weightlifting example

 The promise of glory

Lure of money in the poorer sections of
the society
 The promise of jobs

Unscrupulous coaches
 The promise of fame and money
A Solution?






Government needs to contribute healthily
to sports
Separate bureaucracy and sports
Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, K.P.S. Gill
(charges of harassment, corruption)
Change in mindset of parents
Private players required – even without
guaranteed profits
The role of cricketers
 It’s a symbiotic relationship
What can we do?
Sports entrepreneurs?
 Corporate Sporting Responsibility
 Encourage visionaries like K.P. Thomas

 Monetarily and in terms of publicity

Publicity!