New Delhi government must push sports and athletes hard to ‘Make Delhi Great Again'

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New Delhi and Delhi are in the grip of a mass hysteria after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was kicked out of power by the Bhartiya Janata Party at the hustings on Saturday. The sense of relief at a party being thrown out is palpable, which reflects the pulse of India's largest metro.

From pollution to corruption and 'free water to free electricity' many lies have been exposed. This piece, though, is about a specific aspect which has not been touched upon as regularly as it should have been - sports.

It is well-known that many athletes from Delhi who have won laurels at the Asian Games, Olympics and even World Championships were promised awards, rewards and promotions. So typical of the AAP supremo, Arvind Kejriwal, athletes were made to use social media to beg for what was due to them. It was only when they said they were not rewarded did the AAP woke up.

This reflects the zero priority given to sports by the Delhi Government. It destroyed sports in the Capital for 10 years, even as a neighbouring state like Haryana continued to produce champions. At the same time, in the NCR (National Capital Region), there has been far more infrastructure created for sport, Noida included.

Even in the two recent Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris when Delhi athletes Ravi Dahiya and Aman Sehrawat won medals, they had been training at the Chhatrasal Stadium, no no upliftment was done for sports. Ask anyone if these two athletes and a few more female wrestlers were treated well by the Delhi Government, you will draw a blank. Indeed, so many wrestlers are from Haryana, but they embraced Delhi as their home. That even legend Sushil Kumar trained at the Chhatrasal Stadium is well known when he won two Olympic medals in 2008 and 2012.

The biggest fraud perpetuated upon Delhi was setting up a Delhi Sports University, which is housed in Ludlow Castle. Firstly, it is not a university. Secondly, they admitted children from outside Delhi. How did that happen? It is not like Delhi University which is a Central University. The sports university is nothing but a sham. They produced no champions or scholars and it reflects poorly on the outgoing Delhi Government. There were advisors hired, whose terms will now end. Surely, money has been wasted on it.

For old-timers, the famous DDA (Delhi Development Authority) sports complexes all over are a delight. But what did the Delhi Government do to promote sports? Nothing. Ask any lower middle-class family if Delhi Government schools, proclaimed as 'world-class' produced sporting champions. So, the way forward for the new government is to recognise and value sports and athletes. A whole generation of athletes has been wiped out for lack of opportunity, training and good coaching. If anything, the Covid pandemic made it worse for those who wanted to use sporting arenas in the Capital falling under the Delhi Government.

The Central Government wants to support hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics in India, the Commonwealth Games in 2030 as well and more sporting events. Once upon a time, Delhi was the favourite destination. But since AAP came to power, things took a bad turn. Delhi sports needs a turbo boost. Surely, Virendra Sachdeva, a prominent face in the Delhi BJP will realise how sports must be given a boost. It not only promotes good health but also champions. As people say, 'Make Delhi Great Again,' do not leave out sports from the agenda. It's vital.