<p>Bengaluru: Anil Kumble is among the few top sportspersons who have successfully balanced both education and sports at the highest level in India. However, this is not an easy feat, as many aspiring athletes struggle to navigate their career paths.</p>.<p>An engineering graduate himself, Kumble stressed the importance of integrating sports and education for a successful career in sports. “In India, most of the time they (education and sports) run parallel to each other,” observed the legendary leg-spinner during the announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his company, Tenvic, and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) to promote a stronger sporting culture within the institution.</p>.The 'professional' hazards.<p>“In my view, education is a very important aspect to being a successful sportsperson,” he explained. “In my own case, on the field, in terms of pressure, in terms of handling other external forces that enable you to go there and play, all of that was manageable because of the educational support I had. When we started, we believed that for India to become a sporting nation, education is (important). It is something we have always done exceptionally well. When it comes to sport, it is still an extra-curricular activity. Unless we integrate these two, we are never going to be a sporting nation.”</p>.<p>Kumble emphasised the need for a structured system that allows students to balance their sporting ambitions with academic pursuits. “People who are currently elite athletes have still been able to manage, but it’s not just that,” the former India captain noted. “Some people have been exceptionally successful in other fields outside of the sport or within the sport in another area as well, whether it’s broadcasting or entrepreneurship or any other aspect. But I think if you put a structure in place, it then enables people to make those choices.</p>.<p>“I think if you can provide those choices and have a system where you have time as a sportsperson -- so you have that time to enable that, add to your skill set, outside of your sporting skill set -- that will only help the player. And then the other way around as well, right? I mean, it’s not just about a young player wanting to become an elite athlete. I’ve seen during my time itself, there are a lot of players who are probably more talented than me, but gave up because they felt that they had to.”</p>.<p>Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor of MAHE, echoed Kumble’s views and highlighted the importance of incentivising students to take up sports. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Anil Kumble is among the few top sportspersons who have successfully balanced both education and sports at the highest level in India. However, this is not an easy feat, as many aspiring athletes struggle to navigate their career paths.</p>.<p>An engineering graduate himself, Kumble stressed the importance of integrating sports and education for a successful career in sports. “In India, most of the time they (education and sports) run parallel to each other,” observed the legendary leg-spinner during the announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his company, Tenvic, and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) to promote a stronger sporting culture within the institution.</p>.The 'professional' hazards.<p>“In my view, education is a very important aspect to being a successful sportsperson,” he explained. “In my own case, on the field, in terms of pressure, in terms of handling other external forces that enable you to go there and play, all of that was manageable because of the educational support I had. When we started, we believed that for India to become a sporting nation, education is (important). It is something we have always done exceptionally well. When it comes to sport, it is still an extra-curricular activity. Unless we integrate these two, we are never going to be a sporting nation.”</p>.<p>Kumble emphasised the need for a structured system that allows students to balance their sporting ambitions with academic pursuits. “People who are currently elite athletes have still been able to manage, but it’s not just that,” the former India captain noted. “Some people have been exceptionally successful in other fields outside of the sport or within the sport in another area as well, whether it’s broadcasting or entrepreneurship or any other aspect. But I think if you put a structure in place, it then enables people to make those choices.</p>.<p>“I think if you can provide those choices and have a system where you have time as a sportsperson -- so you have that time to enable that, add to your skill set, outside of your sporting skill set -- that will only help the player. And then the other way around as well, right? I mean, it’s not just about a young player wanting to become an elite athlete. I’ve seen during my time itself, there are a lot of players who are probably more talented than me, but gave up because they felt that they had to.”</p>.<p>Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor of MAHE, echoed Kumble’s views and highlighted the importance of incentivising students to take up sports. </p>