The sports of a lesser god?

While the recent World Cup triumph rained cash, apartments, plots, luxury cars and first-class lifelong railway passes for the Indian cricket team, many non-cricket sports champions in the city are languishing from lack of recognition, support and adequate rewards. Sometimes, they are paid peanuts as cash prizes or not paid at all, while some barely manage to break even, although they have rewritten records in their sporting arena.Take for instance, Fazila Husain, a 17-year-old rowing champion. She has won 13 national medals, including two gold medals, but has never received a cash prize. “There are no rewards. In fact, we are made to pay for our tracksuits, despite representing the state numerous times. In certain events, we had to take care of all the expenses concerning food and lodging,” says Fazila.Snooker champion Pranit Ramchandani fared, however, a little better. When Pranit won the state junior championship from 2005 to 2008, he was given a paltry amount of `1,500 each year. The current state junior champion, Peter Paul, won an extra `1,000 this year. “We have more than 35 world titles in billiards and snooker, but there is no big money involved. Even if I win the nationals, I would make about `20,000 only,” says Pranit.Even Aditya Patel from a more popular sport like car racing faces a hard time to break even. “It would be a blessing if I earn anything in a year. Cash prizes were never much of an earning. Every penny I win goes into my racing,” says Aditya, who won the National Racing and the National Go Karting Championships in 2007 .For Aditya, even the presence of sponsors in motor sports doesn’t yield an income. “It is next to impossible to break even with sponsors. For example, if my budget is `60 lakh a year, I’d be lucky to get even `40 lakh out of sponsors.” It’s this lack of finances that forced him to shift from formula cars to saloon cars, as the latter came cheap, says Aditya.Lack of recognition, support and poor facilities are some other challenges that these non-cricket sports persons have to cope with. “Rowing is the fifth toughest sport in the world. India produced five medals in the Asian Games last year. Two weeks after the event, there was no mention about the aport,” says Fazila.It’s this lack of recognition that has made Fazila contemplate on choosing other commercial sports over rowing. “I come from a family of tennis players and have considered switching sports — not for money but at least for the recognition it brings,” says Fazila. “But I love this sport. I would never stop rowing, no matter how hard it gets.” After the previous association failed to provide proper coaching, Pranit decided to get trained in London, UK in November last year, paying from his own pocket. He says, “I’m striking better now and have learnt a lot in the game after the training I received last year. The new committee, however, looks promising and has been conducting a lot of events.”Though all looks hunky dory in car racing, Aditya feels otherwise. He realised how much India lagged behind in car racing, after his first international trip to Malaysia in 2005 for the Go-Carting Asian Challenge. “We don’t have world-class facilities, cars, tracks and competition to know where we stand. The trip to Malaysia was an eye-opener and exposed the inadequacies of motor sports here,” says Aditya. However, these sportspersons don’t blame cricket or its popularity for the challenges they have to face in their field. Says Pranit, “I had stopped reading the papers because all I could see on the sports page was news on cricket. But I’m not against cricket. I feel all other sports deserve better attention.” Aditya echoes the same sentiments, “Let’s face it, we all played cricket when we were kids, be it at school or with our neighbours. It’s a sport that everybody can relate to.”