India has dominated the medals tally at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, but that isn’t really newsworthy, is it? India has always been the sporting powerhouse in South Asia and therein lies the reason behind some people wanting India to pull out of future Games – because it is just too ‘easy’. I understand the rationale but if one looks a bit deeper, it might present a slightly different picture.

A Rare Moment in the Spotlight

One must also remember that many sportspersons find their voice at these multi-sport events. Squash, for example, gets the most media coverage when we win medals at the Asian, Commonwealth or South Asian Games.
This is our ‘time in the sun’!
I had the honour of being the first squash player ever to be the Indian flag bearer in Guwahati, and that wouldn’t have happened if India wasn’t in it. Pulling out would deprive the so called ‘smaller’ sports the necessary exposure to grow. It would starve them of the recognition they rightfully deserve. When else does the average Indian viewer watch weight-lifting, swimming or shooting live on TV or read about these athletes in the papers?

Next-Gen’s Stepping Stone

Most importantly, I believe it is a great opportunity for the younger players to get a feel of playing for India.

It is the perfect stage to ‘blood’ the next generation of superstars early in their careers, so that they go to the Asians or Olympics with some experience. Being thrown into the deep end at bigger events, with so much riding on them, can make or break athletes’ careers.

The least we can do is to help them prepare the best they can and playing for India in the ‘smaller’ Games is a step in the right
direction.

Take the squash team for example. Sixteen-year-old, Sunayna Kuruvilla, representing India at the senior level for the first time, won the gold in the women’s team event with a 3-2 win over her Pakistan opponent.

This will give her enormous confidence to push on as a player!

Nineteen-year-old Kush Kumar played one of the best matches of his life to win the deciding match against Pakistan and win the gold medal in the men’s event.

Can you imagine how good he must have felt about himself and what that could do to his career going forward? The experience of winning at the highest level is priceless and its effects cannot be discounted.