Hyderabad, Feb 10 : Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu on Thursday said that “India has great potential to emerge as a sports super power on account of the availability of an extremely large talent pool”. “However, in order to achieve this cherished goal, efforts should be made at grass roots level to inspire school children to participate in sports in huge numbers,” Sindhu said while addressing about 250 All India Services, Central Civil Services, and Military Engineer Services Officers, from across the country, who are attending their Foundation Course at the Dr MCR HRD Institute here.
The 26-year-old said that parents, sports-related organizations, and other stakeholders should make a joint effort to encourage children to take up sports at a young age, understand their aptitude, provide them professional guidance, and take care of their physical and mental fitness. “Participation in different sports, practicing hard, and following dreams are more important than merely chasing medals,” said Sindhu, adding that sportspersons should learn to celebrate successes, take failures in their strides, and be realistic in setting their professional targets.
She pointed out that sportspersons should not develop a sense of complacency and, instead, make a deliberate attempt to keep learning their chosen sports. “The need of the hour is to understand the playing styles of their opponents and change their own strategies accordingly.” PV Ramana, father of Sindhu, who was himself an eminent Indian Volleyball player, said that while Sindhu did exceptionally well in badminton, she was equally interested in her studies and successfully pursued B. Com and MBA. E. Damodar, former IGP, said that humility is the defining characteristic of Sindhu’s personality, despite receiving an array of national and international awards.
He said that even though the civil servants may touch the commanding heights of success during their professional career, humility should continue to be the key hallmark of their personalities. Harpreet Singh, Director General of the Institute and Special Chief Secretary to Government of Telangana, stated that the credit for the professional success of Sindhu should entirely go to her, however, he added that the support and guidance of her father, Ramana, is important in its own right. He underlined the need for more and more parents like him in order to give a big boost to the emergence of successful players, in large numbers.
