Karnataka: DYES athletes turn labourers

BENGALURU: Until Covid-19 struck, Satish Kumar (named changed) was an aspiring athlete working towards representing the country. Eight months later, sport is a distant dream for the 17-year-old from north Karnataka. Survival is the only thing on his mind.
Much like other activities, sport too is limping back to normal. Athletes have begun training in the country but over 2,000 of them and scores of coaches attached to the Department of Youth empowerment and Sports (DYES) face an uncertain future in the state.
The sports hostel athletes returned home in March when the government-run facilities shut down due to Covid-19.Most of them come from economically backward families and are struggling to make ends meet.
The eldest son of daily wage labourers, Satish was over the moon when he made it to the DYES hostel a couple of years ago. Apart from giving wings to his dream, the hostel ensured three meals, a luxury at his home.
Now, Satish earns Rs 300 a day as a daily wage labourer. “Once I came back home in March, we didn’t have enough resources for five people. After a couple of weeks, I joined my parents at a farm to make ends meet. No coach has got in touch with us and we don’t know when we will return to our hostels. Teachers do send us notes on whatsapp but after a hard day’s work, I don’t get time to study,” rued Satish.
Satish is not an isolated case. Others like Cariappa have found work in grocery stores in their home towns.
“When our parents are struggling, how can we think of sport? In towns, some of us have found work in shops and earn about Rs 4,000 a month now. Others in villages work in farms, while some of our batchmates have found jobs as construction labourers,” said Cariappa.
A couple of months ago, a few athletes who came to Bengaluru from other parts of the state for their supplementary examinations, were forced to opt for a hotel after they were told that the hostel where they stayed had been converted into a quarantine facility. Since no alternative arrangement was made for the athletes, they were left to fend for themselves.
For a few national-level medallists, however, there was relief in September, when their cash incentive for the previous year was released.
Coaches believe the athletes’ return to sport is a long-drawn process and they will have to start from scratch.
“There was no way we could give them a program to work with because most of them are working. We should have recalled the seniors to the hostels, but I guess the department does not want to risk it given the circumstances. That said, the athletes return to sport will take at least 3-4 months after they rejoin because we have to start all over again with basic fitness and nutrition being the top priority,” pointed out a DYES coach.
Coaches await fresh contracts
The coaches too have their own share of problems. As many as 73 of the DYES coaches are without a contract from October 15 and are in the dark about their future.
“We are given an annual contract. We had approached the sports minister and explained our situation to him. He had asked the department to renew our contracts but it hasn’t been done. We were paid our September salary on October 20 and. As our contracts have expired, the department says the reappointments are pending with the finance department. Till then where do we go? How do we feed our families?” questioned Lakshmeesha, a fencing coach.
Calls to K Srinivas, DYES commissioner, went unanswered.