Tokyo Olympics: Indian atheletes on a rocky final stretch

The brutal coronavirus second wave has hampered the final preparations of Indian athletes

India's Kidambi Srikanth hits a return against Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab during their men's singles match at the Malaysia Open badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on April 4, 2019. Credit: AFP

Vinesh Phogat of India reacts as she won the bronze match of the women's 53kg category against Maria Prevolaraki of Greece during the Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Credit: AP

Badminton players like Saina Nehwal (London Olympics bronze medallist) and Kidami Srikanth (a former World No. 1), yet to secure their ticket to Tokyo, the Olympic hopes remain a doubt as they can’t exit the country as many are refusing to grant visas to Indians because of the deadly strain here. Credit: AFP

The clock is ticking on the Tokyo Olympics. Just two and a half months are left — the Games are scheduled to be held from July 23-August 8 — before Japan throws open its doors for thousands of athletes to showcase their skills at the grandest sporting show on the earth. Normally, this phase is most crucial for elite athletes as they provide final touches to four years of preparation. Taking part in test events, competing in big-ticket competitions to see where they stand or just shutting themselves from the outside world and grinding it out in isolation with their coaches and trainers, the final stretch is dealt with utmost care.

For most elite Indian athletes, some considered as medal prospects, the final few steps, though, are nothing but rocky. Worse, the road ahead also seems quite uncertain. The second wave of the coronavirus is ravaging the country and causing unmitigated disaster. Countries increasingly are banning flights from India and athletes are forced into confinement in their respective training centres. For badminton players like Saina Nehwal (London Olympics bronze medallist) and Kidami Srikanth (a former World No. 1), yet to secure their ticket to Tokyo, the Olympic hopes remain a doubt as they can’t exit the country as many are refusing to grant visas to Indians because of the deadly strain here.

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Saina and Srikanth, nowhere close to their best since the onset of the pandemic last year, were looking at securing their Olympic berths this month. But with the Indian Open and Malaysian Open postponed due to a brutal second wave and no clarity over their travel to Singapore for the final qualifying event, their chances of making it to the quadrennial event stay delicately slim.

“It’s very tough to stay motivated in these hard times,” national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand told DHoS from his training base in Hyderabad. “There’s so much uncertainty around. Even the Olympics, we keep hearing conflicting reports. While the Games are scheduled to take place, cases are on the rise in Tokyo and many prefectures are under lockdown. We are hearing reports that many Tokyo residents don’t want the Olympics to take place at all. So for athletes who have qualified and for the ones who have not, it’s very difficult to train.

“For the ones who have qualified, it’s hard to stay focused and train with full intensity. With the virus causing so much death and destruction, it’s difficult to stay tuned-in. Yes, they are elite shuttlers and some have beaten the best and brought laurels to the country, but it’s hard to turn a blind eye to all the suffering around. It’s very challenging mentally, physically and psychologically. But, then they have their respective teams and they are training as hard as possible. For the ones who have not qualified, they are in a state of confusion. The thought of ‘what’s the point of slogging so much when I can’t even qualify owing to the circumstances’ will cross their mind. It’s the job of coaches like us to help them stay focussed,” added Gopichand.

Barring shooters and a handful of other athletes, most of them are staring at a situation where they may end up flying to Tokyo directly from India without any competitive action. The men’s and women’s hockey teams are training in Bengaluru and with the men’s Pro League events scheduled this month in Europe having been postponed, the only option in front of them is to train at the relatively safe confines of the SAI South Centre campus.

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The relay team tried hard to travel to Poland for the IAAF World Relays but with the Netherlands banning flights from India — there’s no direct flight to Poland from India — they had to scupper their plans. Now, some athletes train at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala while others are in Bengaluru. Archers, boxers, sailors, paddlers, wrestlers and a host of others are saddled with the same problem.

The shooting team, where India hopes to win a few medals, is set to leave for Croatia next week where it hopes to compete in the European Championships and then finalise their preparation at the ISSF World Cup next month. The team will continue to train in the Balkan nation and depart to Tokyo from there. While a few coaches have pulled out considering the grim situation at home and the difficulty of travelling back in case a tragedy befalls their respective families, most of the shooters are happy to be jetting off.

“A huge shout out to the NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) and the Sports Ministry for getting this done,” said shooting sensation Manu Bhaker, a considered a great medal prospect. “While the facilities in India are second to none, the prevailing situation means it’s better for us to train there (in Europe). It’s better not because it’s Europe but we can train together as a team. As I said, India has world class facilities but you know the Covid situation. Travel bans, lockdown, restrictions, the constraints are too much now. Not blaming anyone but the situation is bad. I think, it’s a smart and good decision by NRAI to send us to Croatia.”

The others who are training abroad are weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, fencer Bhavani Devi and wrestler Vinesh Phogat. Chanu’s papers to fly and train in St Louis, United States, was done at breakneck speed while Bhavani (Italy) and Vinesh (Bulgaria) have been training abroad for a while.

“It’s by far the most challenging time of my life,” opined Athletic Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla, a former sprinter and Olympian. “On one hand we have to look at the welfare of the athletes and on the other, we are struggling to get them to compete in this very crucial phase. Even Sri Lanka has banned flights from India, so it’s becoming very challenging with every passing day. When one exit point after another keeps getting closed, what do you do. You just have to hope and pray they open up.”

A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said another challenge facing SAI and administrators is keeping the bubble safe. “The IPL bubble, considered very safe, itself broke. SAI has done a great job so far and they are continuing to do so, even administering vaccines for many Tokyo-bound athletes. But there have been positive cases in SAI campuses. A foreign national support staff member, who doesn’t venture out of the campus at all, tested positive. With cases setting a world record every day in the country, that’ll concern them as well.”

It’s indeed testing times for athletes, coaches, support staff, SAI and the administrators.