Zareen hails India's bid to host 2036 Olympics, calls for SAI centres

After Indias bid to host the Olympics 2036 twotime world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen said that the bid would motivate sportsperson but we need to establish Sports Authority of India SAI centres in every state to nurture sports development which is important for staging the mega event in the countryThe ambition to host the worlds largest sporting event has been backed by strong Indian government support Previously Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown his intent to bring the Olympics to India in 2036India hosting the 2036 Olympics will be a huge motivation for athletes If we want to host major events like the Olympics I believe every state should have SAI centres Currently there are only regional centres If I need to train then I have to go to places like Rohtak Guwahati Aurangabad or wherever these centres are located Nikhat Zareen told IANSIf I have to struggle so much just to get training imagine the challenges for young kids preparing with 2036 in mind I might retire by 2036 she joked but for them it will be difficult Convincing their parents to send them so far away for training will be very challenging If every state has an SAI centre with good coaches it will benefit everyone and wersquoll be able to focus on athletes from the grassroots level she saidNikhat a Deputy Suprindent of Police DSP with Telangana Police further suggested that every state should have multifacility stadiums to help the young athletes train in better infrastructure Along with this each states capital should have a good stadium and a policy in place to support young athletes who arent financially stable By sponsoring their equipment from the grassroots level providing quality coaches and giving them access to facilities we can give them a solid push helping them reach the senior level and potentially make the nation proud she addedAlso ReadSourav Ganguly convincing factor in Wriddhiman Sahas decision to delay retirementNikaht Zareens hopes of clinching a medal on her Olympic debut in Paris ended early as she lost against Wu Yu of China by unanimous decision in the Round of 16 of the womenrsquos 50kg boxing eventReflecting on her Paris Olympics campaign Nikhat Zareen said There was no pressure at all because I had previously won many competitions where no one expected me to win Paris was my first Olympics and I was unseeded In my weight category I had only two major competitors the Turkish boxer Busenaz Cakiroglu and the ChineseI had defeated the Turkish boxer before but I had no prior experience against the Chinese boxer so I was clueless I had only observed her playing but hadnrsquot sparred with her Unfortunately in Paris I had to face the Chinese boxer in the second round itself leading to an early exit from the competition she further saidMore than the loss what saddened me was seeing the medals go to boxers I had previously defeated It was really heartbreaking that I missed out on a medal in the Olympics despite being a twotime world champion Nikhat addedSpeaking about how she overcame her loss at the Olympics the boxer from Telangana said It wasnt easy as everyone becomes coach when you lose and starts giving their expert adviceWhen you win everyone comes to congratulate you I noticed that after Paris only a few people reached out It stings to see people celebrate your wins but when you truly need support they are missing Irsquove come to realise though that this is just part of lifeMore than anyone elsersquos expectations it was my own that weighed on me and it hurt that I couldnrsquot meet them In the past Irsquove faced challenges overcome them and made strong comebacks This time Irsquoll return mentally physically and emotionally stronger Irsquom not pressuring myself Irsquom taking it slow said the 28yearold boxerCurrently training at Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad Nikhat Zareen concluded by saying I donrsquot have a personal coach right now but Irsquom not putting any pressure on myself Irsquoll take my time and make a steady comebackWith IANS Inputs