What’s the story?
Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin revealed that she was astonished by the amount of cash prize that her counterpart PV Sindhu had received after returning from the Rio Olympics, earlier in 2016.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Marin, who is in India to take part in the ongoing Premier Badminton League, said, “I heard she (Sindhu) got millions. That’s huge. I, too, got some cash award from the Spanish government.
"I actually roughly received 10-15 % of the money Sindhu got, but this is a great indicator that the sport is so popular here. Back in Spain, it’s only popular in certain regions, even there the craze isn't this big. So the country is a model of sorts for commercial development of the sport."
Fernando Rivas, Marin’s coach, also said that it was “amazing” to see the Olympic champions of India being showered with so much money. He added, “It’s totally different out here.”
In case you didn’t know…
Earlier in 2016, Sindhu became India’s first woman to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games. The 21-year-old defeated top-ranked opponents on her way to the finals but lost to Marin in the summit clash. In the gruelling final, Marin prevailed over Sindhu 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 to claim the gold medal.
The heart of the matter
After her return from Rio, Sindhu was showered with cash prizes from the different state governments and government institutions. She was also awarded land from the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana government and a luxury car from the Hyderabad Badminton Association, presented by legendary cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.
The cash prizes, themselves, totalled to near about Rs 13 crore. Reportedly, the youngster also signed several endorsements with different companies worth Rs 50 crore. Compare this with what Marin was awarded and you would be left in awe.
Gold-medallist Marin received only about €94,000 (approximately Rs 70 lakh) from the Spanish government for her achievement. It is no wonder that the Spaniard could not believe it when she heard how much Sindhu had been awarded.
Also Read: Meet V Chamundeshwarnath, the man who gifted 17 cars to Indian sports stars
What next?
Marin could, however, win a handsome prize money if she helped her side – the Hyderabad Hunters to win the Premier Badminton League season 3.
Sportskeeda’s take
The perennial problem that has gripped Indian sports for a long time was once again highlighted by Marin and Rivas’ comments. Athletes are showered with cash prizes only when they win medals at the Olympics. Sports administrators should realise that they should channel the money to the development of athletes. It is during the developmental stages that the money is most needed.
Other countries have already begun preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with investments being directed at the preparatory stage. India should do the same if they want to better their performance at the biggest stage.
