KOCHI: It won’t be an overstatement that javelin thrower Davinder Singh Kang was burdened more by financial insecurity than hope when he flew to London to partake in the World Championship. The 28-year-old Punjabi athlete saddled back-breaking debts, mostly incurred for his training purpose. He owed the suppliment provider more than six lakh rupees, his compatriots including Neeraj Chopra several lakhs and was close to being declared a bankrupt after emptying his funds for training.
However, after becoming the first Indian javelin thrower to qualify for the World Championship final, Davinder, who was bitter about the lack of support, has found several doors open for him including an offer of Italian citizenship. The athlete, who bucked the difficulties to create history, said he is all set to relocate to Italy if the Indian administrators fail to dole out help in terms of financial assistance and better job.
“I have largely come this long without any support from the officials or the system. I am still struggling to pay my debts and if the state and the central governments fail to appreciate my efforts, I will consider the citizenship offer,” he told Express.
Yet to recover from the shoulder and back injuries, Kang is on rehabilitation. But that hasn’t deterred the army man from voicing his opinion loud and clear. “I expect a DSP posting from the Punjab government because I deserve that. If they can give cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur that job, why can’t they give the same to me? Just eight teams compete in women’s cricket, but in athletics the entire world took part,” he felt.
A Junior Commissioned Officer in Indian Army, Kang felt they are yet to give him proper support. He claimed that one of the national javelin coaches from Italy extended the offer after reading about him.
“The Italian officials checked about me with a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who was training there. They were impressed with my performance and got in touch with me. They offered me a hefty monthly salary and other facilities that I can’t ever imagine I will get while staying in India,” he said.
For the late comers, here’s a recap of what happened before the World Championship. Kang was ommitted from the national camp in 2016 after he had opted out to train with Kashinath Naik instead of Australian coach Garry Calvert.
Till the camp for the World Championship was convened , he used to train in Patiala as an outsider and had to foot all the expenses on his own.
Kang alleged it was one among the acts of discrimination he had to face . “ How long should I wait? Why should I wait? If a person comes this far without any support from the system, it would have been ideal had they come and said, “ don’t worry. We will help you from now onwards.” But that didn’t happen. I had to spent the cash award that I got from Odisha government after the Asian Championship to clear a part of my debt.”
“If they agree to help, it’s all well and good. For now, I will train with Vikramjeet Singh, my coach from my younger days, to prepare for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. If not, I have options and I am not scared to exercise those,” he said.
shan.as@newindianexpress.com