Young Olympic dreams crushed

Army has decided to shut down its 'Mission Olympic Catch Them Young' programme, disappointing 23 national-level sportspersons

Young Olympic dreams crushed

Army has decided to shut down its 'Mission Olympic Catch Them Young' programme, disappointing 23 national-level sportspersons

Abhilasha Joshi and Santosh Kumar could have become tomorrow's Olympic medalists. They were training towards that goal too. But a sudden decision taken by the Indian Army has shattered their dreams.

With the Army deciding to shut down its "Mission Olympic Catch Them Young" programme, where the organisation focused on young sporting talents, 23 national- level sportspersons have nowhere to go.

This unexpected order has left these youngsters in the lurch, giving them no time tou00a0 plan their next move. "We have no idea why it happened. Every one is disappointed as for the last four years we were working hard and gave our heart and soul to this programme," said 21-years-old Abhilasha Joshi, who was a part of the shooting team.

Another disillusioned sportsman is Santosh Kumar, who was a part of the air pistol category. He is now worried about his future. "I joined the programme two years ago. Because of efficient training and infrastructure I got to perform at the national level. Now, I have no idea how I will sustain my skill," said Santosh.

He is planning to join college after giving his Class XII exam and Abhilasha is planning to join National Cadet Corps (NCC) while looking for private sponsorship.

"There are rumours that the fund meant for the programme will be diverted to the Mission Olympic training facility at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, where defence professionals are trained for the Olympics," Abhilasha said, while talking to MiD DAY.

Sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed that the Army has spent more than Rs 5 crore on the programme to create a world-class training infrastructure.

"Besides sports and studies, the programme also focused on the psychological development of each candidate," said an MoD official, requesting anonymity.

Sources in the Army said that the programme has been stopped, as it could not generate desired results. Besides, nepotism and financial irregularities are also allegedly responsible for the decision.

However, performance records don't establish these allegations. More than 80 per cent of the candidates, who were wards of Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and other ranks, were performing well at the national level. The candidates were chosen after a rigorous selection process supervised by a dedicated board, which included specialists from sports medicines and each sporting category.

The Army's decision has astonished international athletes of the country as well.

"Youngsters were getting international-level training and they were showing great potential to make India proud. I don't know what is the reason behind this decision. It is a disappointing news," said Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra.

"In sports you can never expect results at short notice. Right exposure and infrastructure are essential for sportsmen, apart from physically and psychology training. Moreover, it is important to identify talent at an young age. I feel the Army should have continued the programme," Bindra said.

Boxer and Olympian Akhil Kumar also expressed disappointment over the issue. "While questioning the sudden closure of the programme, it is also important to nail people who could not make use of the outstanding facility. If the Army is saying it could not generate desired results, then the need of the hour is to ponder over the reasons," he said.

In the same tone Rachna Kulshreshtha, a rifle shooter and Arjuna awardee, said that four years are enough to identify talent in any sportsperson. "A sportsperson should be evaluated from every angle including psychological grooming," she said.

Abhilasha's father is a colonel in the Army and Santosh's father is a naib subedar.