Swimming technical committee chairman S Rajiv says India needs infrastructure upgrade for Olympics
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India is lagging behind in sports infrastructure and a drastic improvement is required if the country is serious about bidding for the 2036 Olympics, Swimming Federation of India technical committee chairman S Rajiv has said.
He was speaking at a felicitation organised by the Kerala Aquatic Association on his participation as a technical official for swimming events at the Paris Olympics. Rajiv had earlier served as a technical official in the 2016 Rio Olympics and as an observer in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“My feeling after participating in the Paris Olympics is that we are at least 50 years behind in terms of sports infrastructure like equipment or electronic timing system. We need to send more officials to the next Olympics and other international events to learn the advancements in the sector,” he said.
Rajiv said India could send only one technical official and two observers to the Paris Olympics even as the country participated in several disciplines.
“We should send as many officials as possible to the Olympics, Asian Games, and world championships. The sports ministry and the different sports federations can get valuable insights from them,” he said. Former sports minister M Vijayakumar presided over the function. He said Rajiv has become the face of Kerala’s aquatics. “The country could not make expected achievements in the Paris Olympics. Rajiv’s participation is among the few good things that encourage the country to go ahead,” he said.