An interview with LV Subrahmanyam, vice chairman and managing director, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

Q. How have been the preparations for the National Games 2002 going on so far?
A.Yes, we have been working at a very hectic pace since there is very little time left now for the meet. Our focus is on a three-fold arrangement. Firstly for the facility of the players we are building seven new stadiums, besides upgrading the existing ones. An amount Rs.125 cr has been set aside for the construction of new stadiums whereas another 25 cr has been allocated for upgrading the old ones. Secondly, we are also coming up with a Games village, which would accommodate nearly 10000 people comprising both contestants as well as the officials. Significantly, for the first time in India the private enterprise is being involved to construct the games village. Thirdly, we have been holding dialogue with all the sports federations in the country to develop the infrastructure for the national games.

Q. At which parts of the city, the new stadiums are coming up?
A. The main athletics stadium is being built at Gachibowli. The cycle Velodrome is being laid out at the Osmania University. A new tennis stadium is also coming up at the Fateh Maidan club. Though the state had hosted the national games in 1979, it was not an integrated affair. Only a couple of athletic events had taken place at Lal Bahadur stadium. But this time, all the events are going to take place here. Hence our main priority is to build the stadiums.

Q. Do you think the emergence of champions like Malleshwari and Gopi Chand has given a shot in the arm as far as development of sports in AP is concerned?
A.Yes there is no doubt that these winners have become the role models for the budding sports persons in the state. But more importantly, AP has a sports policy that encourages both the young prospects and the associations by doling out incentives. The policy has also identified 16 games in which the state enjoys its traditional strength. The idea is to give further fillip to these already strong areas. It is a progressive piece of policy.

Q. Where does AP stand in comparision to other leading states in sports in the country?
A.The gap is still very much there. In the last National meet at Manipur, we finished 13th. So this time around, we are planning to focus more on individual events because there are a lot of medals in the individual events. In sharp contrast to team events, there are a total of 1049 medals in individual events. For example there are 135 medals alone in athletics, with around 85 medals for even an event like equestrian. Since we are hosting the meet this time, the expectation level is naturally high. That apart, we being the host state we can take part in all the events. This would automatically have an impact on our medal tally. In 1999, Manipur being the host managed to come second in the overall medal tally. So we are hoping AP would at least crack into the first five.

Q. What about the sports academies in the state. How are they functioning?
A. We have 13 academies in different sports disciplines like swimming, hockey and weightlifting. Earlier, we used to have mixed population in sports academies drawn from all sports. Now we have compartmentalised them totally. Well, the result is very encouraging. Initially, there were a lot of misgivings over this development. But once the results were visible, the criticism just stopped.

Q. How you are going to link up sports with education?
A. The idea is to link up sports not only with education but also with urban development and rural development. Coming back to the link between education and sports, in an urban centre like Hyderabad many schools do not have enough space for playing facilities. There are 20 schools around Lal Bahadur stadium, which do not have any facilities. So we are planning to come up with an arrangement where in the schools can access the facilities of the stadium on a cost-sharing basis. This certainly would lessen the gloom of these school children that unfortunately do not have any facilities in their own yard.

Q. Following the recent felicitation of stars like Malleshwari and Gopi Chand, are you        planning a similar sort of reception for VVS Laxman on his return?
A. Definitely. We have already announced a five Lakh cash award for Laxman. Proper incentive for an exceptional performance is vital. That is the way one evokes motivation in the performers. When Malleshwari was being felicitated, both Gopi Chand and hockey star Mukesh Kumar were also present among the spectators. Later, when Gopi Chand was given a civic reception following his All-England triumph he revealed that on the very day he saw Malleshwari on the dais, he decided that one day he would be right there on the dias too. Now same honour awaits Laxman. In fact, during the felicitation function of Gopi Chand when both the Chief Minister and Governor made a passing reference to Laxman’s record-breaking feats, there was a thunderous applause. We are all waiting for the last one-day match at Goa to end in order to give a fitting reception to Laxman on his return.