'No future in Kerala' as frustrated elite athletes turn their back on the state

Add as a preferred source on Google

Three of the top Kerala athletes made headlines for no good reason, especially in the god own's country, right after the highs of the Asian Games in Hangzhou. World No. 7 shuttler HS Prannoy, and the country's top triple jumpers Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker, all three natives of Kerala, showed no qualms in turning their back on the state.

In the process, the trio made some serious accusations of poor treatment and gross negligence towards the athletes while announcing their switch to other states with the National Games in Goa on the horizon.

From a distance perhaps, it is perceived as an act of defiance towards their land as some believe that these elite-level athletes are only looking for a greener pasteur in states with better-financial assistance while the central government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) covers all their expenses of training, coaching and competing abroad.

However, in a country where cricketers make an exorbitant amount of money every year and enjoy a god-like status among the masses, other sports athletes need to content themselves with a central government scheme is a thought that requires some serious reconsideration.

Mykhel spoke to a range of Kerala athletes, coaches, and officials since Prannoy, Eldhose, and Abdulla opened up the can of worms. Speaking on the condition of anonymity with a fear of backlash from the local government, they spilled the beans further on the grim situation of athletes in the southern state.

"I believe it's not a decision anyone takes in haste as the anger and frustration were brewing inside Kerala athletes for years now," said a decorated Kerala athlete, who also won an individual medal at the Asian Games. "On our back from Hangzhou, most of us knew that there would be no grand welcome for us in Kerala as often has been the case in the past."

Kerala, in fact, enjoys a rich legacy in athletics with legendary names such as PT Usha, Anju Bobby George coming up from the state. It currently homes a strong batch of athletes in 400m national record holders Muhammad Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, long jumpers Murali Sreeshankar and Ancy Sojan among several others and has been crucial in the state's dominance in AFI's annual inter-state competition.

However, the Kerala sports ministry, on the other hand, has done little to appreciate their efforts and instead is accused of not staying true to their words. There have been enough incidents of false hopes in the past when jobs and prize money were offered to the athletes following success at the international and national stages but years past with nothing credited to their bank account.

2018 Asian Games gold medallist VK Vismaya, who was part of the women's 4x400m relay team that memorably outran heavy favourites Bahrain in the final, has been waiting for the last five years for the state government to keep their promise of a job.

"All my three teammates Hima Das, MR Poovamma and Saritaben Gayakwad, got jobs immediately when they returned to their home states. But even after five years, I am going from office to office to get an update on mine," Vismaya told The Bridge back in August.

"I have not received the promised prize money for my Asian Athletics Championships medals from 2019 and 2021 either. In Kerala, international medal winners are treated the same as national medal winners."

The stories are similar from last year's National Games in Gujarat as several athletes have complained that they haven't received the money promised to them for winning medals. However, there's a change in attitude in recent times as two weeks after the National Games in Goa, the Kerala sports body has kept mum instead of making another empty promise.

However, the question that arises is if the situation has been quite rampant in Kerala for years now then why athletes are willing to move out of the state now?

"If you see your fellow athletes bagging crores after winning Asian Games medals and you get Rs 5-10 lakh for doing the same, why would you prefer to stay in Kerala?" asks a well-established track and field coach, whose athletes have won gold medals at big-ticket events over the last two years.

"I often encourage my athletes to switch to states that will remunerate their efforts well because in Kerala, the problem is not just a fraction of the amount you get in comparison to others but there's also no confirmation on when you will get it. National-level athletes often wait up to 4-5 years to get the money promised to them as they are given all the amount together. But that's too long of a wait in an athlete's career, especially now when the Olympics are less than a year away."

The practice of switching states is not new in the country and is quite common too as athletes often try to move to states like Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha for their better financial-assistance schemes for the athletes.

For reference, the Haryana government announced a grant of Rs 3 crore for the gold medallists while Rs 1.5 crore for the silver, and Rs 75 lakh for the bronze winners is offered. Odisha government, on the other hand, awarded Rs 1.5 crore to javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena for winning the silver medal.

The issue of the sports authority's negligence is not limited to Kerala as last year West Bengal athletes were heard marking similar grievances. The likes of heptathlete Swapna Barman and sprinter Himasree Roy switched to Madhya Pradesh and Haryana respectively as well.

However, no instance has been as appalling as Kerala track and field athletes', who were forced into compartments like cattle for a 46-hour long journey to Ranchi for the Federation Cup this year in June. It was a horrendous gaffe of epic proportions by the sports authorities and Kerala athletics federation, who could only provide 24 reserved tickets to a 136-member and forced athletes to sleep on the floor or find cramped spaces to adjust.

To make it worse, there was apathy on display from the sports authority towards athletes as no amount of media attention has changed their attitude on improving the plight of the athletes, or at least stopping the crown jewels of the states from leaving.

"There hardly has been any discussion on the HS Prannoy and triple jumpers deciding to move away from Kerala," says an official amongst the ranks of the Kerala Olympic Association. "KOA president said he will try to speak Prannoy out of the move but with the no-objection certificate, the damage is already done."

The official further pointed out the shoe-string budget allocation for Kerala sports, which will only be a hindrance as not just athletes but staff working in many of the sports departments and federations have months of salaries due.

"The budget for athletes travelling to upcoming National Games has been slashed by 25 per cent. Each athlete had an allowance of Rs 500 in the past, they all will get Rs 400 each in Goa," further said the official. "In fact, the money crunch is not just limited to athletes as salary and Onam bonuses of the staff in the sports department are still pending."

While the rot spreads deep in Kerala sports, it's not hard to understand why the likes of HS Prannoy, Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker want to be out of the state and have now left the door ajar for other athletes as well.

"Don't be surprised if more athletes move away from Kerala because by now we all know sportspersons have no future in Kerala," says an Asian Games medallist.