Anirban Lahiri unhappy at the treatment meted out to Olympians
India’s ace golfer Anirban Lahiri lashed out at the sports authorities in the country after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for the way sports have been organized and run in the country.
The golfer also hit out at the officials for their conduct during the games in Rio, stating that poor facilities and system was the reason India always wins only a few medals.
In an interview with Firstpost, he said, "It is sad to see how an Olympian is treated in our country; I know it is making waves now in the media because we have had a bad Olympics, but it's the same thing, whether you look at golf or any other sport. Every single sporting achievement in this country is in spite of and despite the system; nothing is because of the system,” said Lahiri.
He also added to it saying, “whether we win six medals like we did in London, or whether we win two like we did this year, or if we win 25, it will still be in spite of the system; never because of it”.
The golfer who travelled to Rio with a number of other athletes said that he was inspired when he heard the tales of his fellow Olympians and their struggle making it to the Olympics.
“Some of them are technically not even sportspersons professionally because that is not what puts bread on their table. A job that the public sector gives them is what provides them with a means of living,” said Lahiri on the unfortunate way certain sportspersons are treated in the country.
Lahiri also interacted with athletes from around the world during the Olympics and said that he had a hard time explaining to them about the system we have in India for sports. He spoke about the doping controversy that Narsingh Yadav was involved in recently, where his drink was spiked in order to have him banned from participating in the Olympics.
Lahiri recalled the time he was speaking about this incident to a fellow golfer but he couldn’t speak further as the golfer didn't want to hear any more about the sad state of affair in the country. “What happened with Narsingh is anti-national. You are taking an ax and throwing it at your own foot," said an outraged Lahiri.
The golfer also spoke about the support staff at the Olympics. He said that the athletes who should be focusing on their event were running behind the support staff calling them ‘Minister Saab’ asking for help.
Lahiri sarcastically said “And I thought they were support staff for the contingent. How silly of me.”