What’s the story?
Following the success of Amir Khan-starrer, Dangal, the Haryana government declared on Sunday that 100 wrestling mats will be provided to 'akhadas' in the state. Dangal, which is a feature based on wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and the rise of his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, highlights the struggle of Mahavir Singh to train his daughters into international champions.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, also announced that the government has set up a committee led by the Chief Secretary to streamline the process of giving employment to the state's outstanding sportspersons. And depending on the recommendations of this committee, a new policy for sportspersons would also be formulated.
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In the movie, the directors explicitly highlight the cause of failure for women in sports in India. In a telling scene, Mahavir Phogat is seen being snubbed, when he pleads to a local sports official for funds to buy a wrestling mat so that his budding daughters can practice on it rather than a sand bed. The official claimed that there is barely any funds left for the women’s quota after paying for the men's’.
"After practising on the standard mat for years, Olympics mat par pair nahin jamte shuru se (one's feet do not move swiftly on Olympics mat immediately after practising on the standard one for years)," complained a young wrestler at Phogat's akhara.
The heart of the matter
Wrestling mats conforming to the Olympics standard, are made of thicker and higher density foam than that used in standard mats of the sort that Phogat’s akhada has been provided with. Olympics standard mats offer more protection and impact absorption and hence cause fewer injuries to wrestlers.
According to India Times, Mahavir Singh Phogat said in an interview, "This is only a standard wrestling mat given by the government. I had put a similar one here a few years ago from my own funds. The government should provide us the Olympics-standard mat for the akharas so that our boys and girls practice from the start on the mat on which they later have to compete for international medals.”
What next?
The state government has also promised to make Phogat's akhada in Balali village, air-conditioned with separate changing rooms for men and women wrestlers. The government would even build a stadium in the village if the panchayat makes land available.
Sportskeeda’s take
While it’s good news that the Haryana government plans to provide 100 wrestling mats to akhadas in the state, it’s also slightly damning that it takes a movie for administrators and officials to realise that sportspersons need at least the basic facilities.
Athletes from the state of Haryana has won India the most number of medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games in wrestling. And akharas in villages across the state are seen as fertile breeding grounds for future medalists. Dangal, for its part, has surely helped pin down the problem and spur a change.
