New Delhi: Reigning World champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra wants greater support from the Indian government at the grassroots level of athletics, apart from infrastructural upgradation like laying of Mondotrack at Patiala’s National Institute of Sports.
Chopra attended a meeting on the invitation of the government to discuss the proposed National Sports Governance Bill on Wednesday and requested speedy laying down of the Mondotrack that is widely used in major track and field events.
Composed of vulcanized rubber, absorbs shock and reduces fatigue with its elasticity and uniform dynamic response, it has been praised by top athletes to improve performance apart from reducing injuries.
Currently NIS Patiala has a synthetic track made of sand, fiber, wax, and rubber that doesn’t help athletes springboard off the track like the Mondotrack.
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Chopra also stressed on the need for more stadiums for up and coming athletes.
“Neeraj attended the discussion virtually and said that he had been speaking about a Mondotrack at Patiala since 2018-19…facilities at the grassroots was another thing,” a source who attended the meeting told PTI.
“He said that when Indian athletes compete abroad, most of the competitions these days are held on the Mondotrack, which becomes a big disadvantage for them.”
The meeting was attended by top athletes, well known coaches and sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya in which Paris Games silver medallist wanted more resources for infrastructural improvement at the grassroots level.
“He said that when India was aiming to bring the Olympics in 2036, stadiums cannot just be utilised for camps and world cups. He said that if the country wants fresh talent, these stadiums should be utilised more along with creation of more facilities at the grassroots, not to forget the coaches,” the source added.
“Neeraj also demanded that Indian coaches should be made more aware and in sync with what’s happening around the world.”
