CHENNAI: Every Winter Olympics, sports fans in our country usually warm up to some obscure sports played by lesser-known players. Frenetic google searches on the sports and players follow. If one is lucky, sporadic mentions about the athletes would pop up here and there. That reflects the ignorance of such sports in our country. One name, however, breaks that infamous trend: luger and six-time Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan.
When Shiva laments about the conditions that is affecting the winter sports in the country, it is nothing unusual. As of now no Indian athlete has qualified for the 2022 Winter Games in China. In fact this neglect and official apathy only motivates him to help sport prosper. There is temptation of making a comeback because it “would be easy for him to qualify”, but that is not what he is dreaming about right now. “Qualifying is not something I look forward to anymore. I want to get better,” he said from Sochi, where he is training some Argentine athletes.
Shiva is devoting more time to coaching and is set to coach India’s luge team of seven in Sochi. “I will be training the development group,” he said. Sponsors and funding are something he is finding it more and more difficult to get. “It’s not easy to get funding but we are managing through some CSR funds and even the Indian Olympic Association is helping us.”
Shiva is happy to lend a helping hand to some young lugers who could once represent India at the Winter Olympics. All their ages are between 13 to 16. They would be ready by 2026. “The idea is to help a full luge team to qualify in 2026 Winter Games,” said the high performance director of the Luge Federation of India. That means he is looking at two men’s and women’s teams each and two doubles. “We are currently conducting a national talent scouting program with the aim of sending a complete 10-member contingent for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. This winter, seven young athletes will undergo international training and compete in the junior world cup circuit and junior world championships.
“The decision to retire was a painful one,” the 40-year-old said. “I am training athletes who are older than me so I don’t think age is a factor. Knowing that the qualification system is easier than before, that there is nobody else who would rise to the occasion, and that I could have continued to get better results for India, makes the decision even more heart-breaking.” However, what’s irking Shiva is the lack of support and recognition for Winter sports in the country. “At the same time, continuing to compete after there has been no progress or improvement in the support system from sports organisations and government for the last 25 years has become impossible.
“I took the decision to quit because I realised we need people who are genuinely interested in sport to push the future generations of athletes to do well despite the obstacles that our own system has created.”