Manipur is often described as a powerhouse of sports in the country. In a world of clichés and banal word play, the description actually fits the small state which has given various players in certain sports disciplines. Given the size of the state and its population on one hand and the lack of an effective proper sports framework on the other, the exploits of sportspersons on the state, regional, national and international level merits a careful assessment in the first place. For all purposes, sports in India are still a poor man’s choice, which holds true in the state of Manipur as well. A distinction in a sports tourney at the higher level mostly means the security of a job placement and this factor may well be giving the fillip to the sports being an alternative to poor educational exposure, the lack of jobs on merit vis a vis the corruption angle, the unrest in the state by nature of its conflicts of ethnicity, resource sharing, civic rights and militarization with the desolation of rampant drug abuse being around the next corner. The sheer battle of physical and mental will in physical sports to edge ahead in a despairing fragile world and create moments of joy and celebration is common in the struggles of sportspersons who have come up from impoverished backgrounds to make a name for themselves and the places they belong to. This has been true of Muhammad Ali to Cassius Clay to Pele and many others.
Ironically, the sports story in the country today is a great leveler and reflects the great social and financial divide that exists between the haves and the have not’s. On one hand, the lack of infrastructure and training inputs and even diet impedes a good show in disciplines like athletics, swimming etc but on the other hand, the commerce and glamour of certain games like cricket, golf, lawn tennis have brought in people to their fold and not so surprisingly drawn from upper middle classes and higher. The attitude of Government to sportspersons unless they happen to be playing cricket surfaces every time there is a story of a national athlete forced to sell off medals to eke a living or having to take up the work of a sweeper. The corporate world has been unkind to sportspersons all over the country with its preference for cricketers being their favorite brand ambassadors and other sportspersons coming far behind them in terms of financial returns and sponsorships. Coming to Manipur, what hold true at the national level applies with the only difference being that there are no corporate backing for sports even as the Government remains on a ‘announce rewards when results come in’ mode. Even as the end goal of a government job or reward gets factored in as a reason to take up sports like boxing, football, archery and others that need stamina more than expensive gears, there needs to be a realization that a little push can result in greater glory and name for the state. All it needs is for adequate support to harness the fire and zeal to strive for a way to combat the embittered life in the state.
Unfortunately, there is no system to instill an aptitude for sports amongst the young. Most schools have a standard Physical Training (PT) class that looks at basic exercise and nothing else while the sports equipments at schools are more of decoration purposes and playful times among students, considering coaches for various games are not employed in schools to nurture future players in various games and disciplines. If indeed Manipur is serious about retaining the tag of being a ‘powerhouse’ of sports in the country, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive strategy and proper implementation of a process of introducing various sporting disciplines from the school level onwards to identify future talent, put in strong infrastructural and human resources for nurturing the talent and then facilitate exposure programs to various parts of the country and even abroad. The initiative taken by the Government with its two month residential program for grooming footballers is a good beginning. But having said that, the Government must begin to think of other disciplines apart from football and boxing. Due attention must also be given to differently abled sports persons in the state for they too have begun making their mark in various forums. Unfortunately though, there is great apathy and indifference being meted out to players in this category.No sports loving Government can claim to be so till it acts on its name and show it in its actions. It is time the Manipur Government take Sports seriously and realize that beyond organizing sports meets lies a whole world of preparation for the future.