'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Sakina Khatun is hard at work, training for her next championship. She has her eyes set on winning the gold for India at the next biggest sporting event. Sakina is a power lifter and is currently ranked number 5 in the IPC World Rankings. She is also afflicted by polio. Sakina is training for the 2016 Paralympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro.
While Sakina took to swimming at a young age, proving herself a natural at the sport, she narrowly missed out on a berth in the Commonwealth Games in 2010; she then switched to powerlifting on the advice of one of her swimming coaches. Since making the switch, she hasn't looked back. She rose to prominence in 2014, when she won the bronze medal for India at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She is currently training under Paralympian and Arjuna awardee, Farman Basha, and has several other accolades under her belt.
Sakina is amongst those exceptional athletes who is being helped by GoSports Foundation, through their Para Champions Programme. As part of the Programme, Sakina is being offered financial assistance and access to high performance sport science expertise. Sakina is accompanied by Niranjan Mukundan, Rajinder Rahelu, Sharath Gayakwad, and H.N. Girisha – all top Indian para athletes and supported by GoSports Foundation, ahead of the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
GoSports Foundation is a not-for-profit trust established in 2008 that executes Programmes aimed at junior athlete development in India. Their comprehensive selection mechanism has enabled them to identify and support more than 100 top junior and elite Indian athletes, across multiple Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.
A study conducted by GoSports Foundation revealed that most dropouts in sports are between the ages of 18-22; the reasons for dropping out ranged from athletes seeing sports as a non-viable career option to lack of financial support for their high performance training needs. With this thought in mind, GoSports Foundation was established in 2008 to offer the necessary support to talented junior Indian athletes. Founder and Managing Trustee Nandan Kamath says, “The GoSports Foundation was established to change the software of Indian sport, by injecting positivity and professionalism into the Indian sports ecosystem.”
In a land where cricket is almost a religion and other sports are often neglected, Mr. Kamath wanted to focus on providing a solution. What started out as an organisation offering monthly stipends to support top junior Indian athletes soon evolved over the years into a platform for individuals and other organisations to contribute to Indian sports. The Foundation currently works with prominent athletes, coaches, experts, and administrators to bring about a change in the Indian sporting ecosystem.
Today, GoSports also boasts a roster of prominent Indian sportspersons, who act as advisors and mentors to various athlete development programmes. This includes Rahul Dravid, Abhinav Bindra and Pullela Gopichand, who are on the advisory board of the Foundation and are assisting in executing the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorships, Abhinav Bindra Shooting Development, and Badminton Development programmes respectively.
Under the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme for 2014, 3 athletes benefitted from receiving personalised mentorship of Rahul Dravid, in addition to being offered financial support towards their sporting needs. Rahul Dravid played a key role in the overall progress of the athletes last year. Sharath Gayakwad, who is a para-swimmer, recounts his story of how a simple conversation with Dravid helped him get some perspective and regain his confidence.
An Arjuna awardee, Sharath has won over 30 international and 40 national medals in swimming. With his impressive record, it is hard to imagine him wavering in his confidence. Sharath was training for the Asian Para Games in 2014, to be held in Incheon, when he injured his right shoulder. His injury threw him off guard and he began to doubt his abilities, even contemplating quitting the Games. A chance to meet Rahul Dravid under the Mentorship Programme helped him gain perspective. Says Sharath, “Mr. Dravid told me that I needed to be 100% sure of quitting, and that I shouldn't regret it later. The more I thought about it, the more determined I became in going ahead and participating in the Games.”
He then started visiting a physiotherapist, who helped him with his injury. Sharath went on to win 6 medals at the Asian Para Games in 2014, breaking P. T. Usha's earlier record of 5 medals. As of this year, the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme will provide 16 new athletes with financial support, access to sports science expertise, and the opportunity to be mentored by Rahul Dravid at key phases in their sporting journeys.
Sharath is just one of the success stories at GoSports Foundation. Another familiar face at GoSports is H. N. Girisha, who is a para high jumper. Born with an impairment in his left leg, Girisha proved his calibre first at the World Junior Athletics Championship in Ireland in 2006, when he won a bronze medal. He has since gone on to win several accolades across many competitions around the world, including a silver medal at the 2012 Paralympics in London. Like Sharath, Girisha is also an Arjuna Award recipient. He has also been conferred the Padma Shri in 2013.
Another source of inspiration is para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan. The 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist was named Junior World Champion at the IWAS World Junior Games in 2015, after winning 10 medals in the 10 events that he entered. GoSports Foundation has funded Niranjan’s training stints, international travel, nutritional consultations, and follow-ups. Similar support has also been provided to powerlifter and Arjuna Awardee Rajinder Rahelu, who has won medals at the national, Asian, Commonwealth Games and the Paralympics; he was recently offered a coaching job at the NIS in Patiala by the Sports Authority of India.
GoSports Foundation has acted as a catalyst in the success stories of many of its athletes. With the biggest sporting event they could dream of participating in before them, Sakina, Niranjan, Sharath, Girisha, and Rajinder, hope to bring glory to India. With the help of Milaap, GoSports Foundation is participating in the Bengaluru Marathon, in order to raise funds for providing specialised training to these athletes.
The funds will mainly be used for athletes' high performance training, nutritional supplements, travel and accommodation for domestic and international tournaments, fitness and injury management, sports equipment, and apparel and gear. By contributing to the fundraiser, you will be helping our para athletes shine on a global stage. With your help, India's para athletes can shine bright and show the world that nothing is impossible.
