Why so different: Rewards for CWG medallists highlight strange disparity

At a felicitation function organised by the Indian Army to honour its Commonwealth Games (CWG) medallists a couple of weeks ago, the contrast between weightlifters Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli couldn’t have been starker. Both had come back with gold medals in their respective weight divisions, but while one was exuberant, the other sat in a quiet corner at the Manekshaw Centre, shyly revelling in his success.

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There was another difference, too.

Sheuli, who is from Deulpur village in West Bengal, was set to receive ₹5 lakh from the state government; his best friend Jeremy, will get ₹25 lakh from the Mizoram government.

Central government’s uniform disbursal of ₹20 lakh, ₹10 lakh and ₹7.5 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze medallists notwithstanding, disparate payouts from states rankle athletes, who often look with grudging admiration at compatriots from some of the higher paying states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

While Haryana announced ₹1.5 crore for all gold medallists, UP will give ₹1 crore to all podium-toppers. Apart from rewards for silver and bronze medallists, Haryana also announced a cash reward of ₹15 lakh for fourth-place finishers. UP, on the other hand, will pay ₹5 lakh to each state athlete who couldn’t medal at the CWG.

Delhi is also among the high-paying states with ₹50 lakh, ₹40 lakh, and ₹30 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze.

But the different rewards for the same level of achievements has now sparked a larger debate about uniformity.

“Please don’t even start,” said a young CWG medallist,who didn’t wish to be named. “It hurts that some of us are paid peanuts compared to others, but what can we do? An athlete’s career lasts barely 10 years, and we need some financial security for the rest of our lives,” the athlete said.

For some, the thought of switching states is not off the books, with the athlete quoted above claiming to have discussed this “in detail” with colleagues from other states who get better rewards.

“These things do come up when we talk. I am told the process to change domicile isn’t that simple either as one has to spend at least three years in a state to get the certificate. As an athlete, it’s not my job to look for these things. Our states should take care of us,” he said.

While neighbours Haryana and Punjab stand out for their pro-athlete policies, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, who also share a border, produce an incomprehensible incongruity.

The two southern states combined to produce eight CWG medallists this year, but while Tamil Nadu has disbursed ₹3.40 crore among Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan, Saurav Ghosal, and Dipika Pallikal, Kerala is yet to announce any cash incentives.

Long jump silver medallist Murali Sreeshankar, triple jump gold and silver medallists Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker, badminton medallist Treesa Jolly, and men’s hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who helped India to a silver, come from Kerala. Pallikal was born in Kerala but plays for Tamil Nadu. Ghosal, born in Bengal, also turns up for Tamil Nadu.

“What we may lack in cash rewards, we make up by offering government jobs,” said S Sudhesh, Kerala’s state’s sports secretary. “We gave 604 sports quota jobs during 2016-22, including 250 in general administration, 137 in police, 147 in sports department, and 11 in education department for Santosh Trophy winners. Other jobs were offered in the state electricity board, state road transport corporation, and PSUs,” he added.

The state gave ₹2 crore to Sreejesh after Tokyo Olympics and ₹5 lakh each to badminton players HS Prannoy and MR Arjun who were part of the Thomas Cup-winning team.

A felicitation for CWG medallists, Sudhesh said, is likely to take place later this month, and details of cash reward are currently being worked out.

This is, however, not enough to assuage S Murali, Sreeshankar’s father and coach. “We are eagerly waiting. I think Sreeshankar is the only Olympian without a job. We have been waiting for his job for a year. We have written to the state government but nothing has happened,” he said.

The situation is similarly patchy in Maharashtra, home to the history-making Avinash Sable. The 27-year-old from Beed became the first non-Kenyan man to finish inside the top three in 3000m steeplechase since 1998. He is yet to get any monetary benefit from his state. Weightlifting silver medallist Sanket Sargar from Sangli, though, will get ₹30 lakh, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said last month.

Just last week, Shinde announced ‘dahi handi’ to be recognised under the sports category in the state. The ‘govindas’, he said, will get jobs under the sports quota along with a ₹10 lakh insurance cover.

“As of now, there are no cash rewards. We have just formed the government, so these things are still under discussion. There is a sports policy in place, but we may revise it soon to increase the prize money,” said the state’s sports secretary Ranjit Singh Deol.

Former boxer Akhil Kumar, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, said: “It is very important to understand that an athlete’s career is less than 10 years. There are a number of insecurities that hold back an athlete, finances being a primary constraint. If governments can address that at an early stage, we will be able to produce lot more world-class athletes.”

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