Vishy Anand recalls misuse by Federation official ; 3-course meals, chauffeured car and more

Viswanathan Anand, understandably, showed disappointment at the performance of the Indian contingent at Rio, but quickly moved on to point out the silver-lining from the bleak clouds.

“Disappointed. But we seemed to have created a pool of new disciplines and sportspersons who could be medal winners in 2020,” he said when asked about the result at the Olympics in an exclusive to ToI.

Anand also empathized with the near-misses that our athletes suffered at the Games. Abhinav Bindra as well as the mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna came close to the medal but finally ended up fourth.

Anand said, “I think a sportsperson who prepared and lost narrowly would feel the most pain. You almost know by how much you lost, yet it’s not something tangible. I would say the most positive takeout is we missed narrowly in a few events and we found a lot of new talent. Gymnastics would never be considered a medal prospect for India but we could easily be one in 2020.”

The maestro, who has spent decades outside India but still managed to maintain his roots, also pointed to the mindset that has put India in this precarious position. Pullela Gopichand and other sportspersons have also brought up the folly of our expectations when we wake up only every four years and hope for medals to magically appear.

Anand said, “I think we get very excited every four years. We get euphoric about a medal. But two years after an Olympics is where all the attention should be. That's when sportspersons are competing in World Championships or qualifiers to make it to the Olympics. I think we need to feel the spirit then when the training begins.”

However, he refused to blame the system and bureaucracy for the results and said that we need to work within the framework to achieve success given there is no way to by-pass it. “I think almost every sportsperson will have dealt with officialdom at some level. You can't just solve it by throwing it away. We need a framework. It's a very complex mechanism. On one hand it's needed so as to reach out to talent, but on the other hand it also stalls growth,” he remarked.

Anand also emphasized on the need for grassroots development and said, “Every four years we go through this rhetoric, but I agree with Abhinav that it has to go beyond the Olympics and start at the grassroots level. If you see talent, how do you ensure they move up very quickly? That is the key.

“We need parents to look at sports as something essential and natural. The government should definitely help in identifying talent and sustaining talent. But it shouldn't compete with private organisations that may be better equipped at providing training or a support system.”

On the topic of official apathy, Anand also recounted a particular incident when a particular official misused Government privileges while being associated with Anand.

“I remember a federation official calling embassy officials demanding a three-course Indian meals in Tehran along with a chauffeur car service. The ambassador assumed it was for me. Little did they know it was for the official to shop for souvenirs. The official even asked Aruna before my last game at the World Championships if she could organise the arrival in India. So a federation has to respect its players and at least emotionally connect with them.”

Hardships for Indian sportspersons do not seem to come down once you become World Champion. Anand talked about how he had to reach the highest level in the sport before things became easy for him.

“When I became World Junior champion, I started making enough money to cover my travel expenses. Some tournament invitations started coming and I never had to depend on the federation to cover my expenses. I think if you have a talent, getting the right breaks is very important. When the break comes, you should be able to do well. Luckily, I did well in key events that helped me get noticed internationally,” he concluded.