Goa must take care of its athletes, says taekwondo gold winner Anand

Panaji: P. Anand won the most important medal of his illustrious taekwondo career at the National Games in Goa on Friday. Once the celebrations were over, his mind went back to that evening in 2017 when he was awarded the Dilip Sardesai award for sporting excellence.
It’s the highest honour for sportspersons in the state. Anand surely deserved that. The taekwondo star from Ponda was the only gold medal winner for Goa at the National Games in 2015.With Goa scheduled to hold the next edition of the multidiscipline sporting event, he made a promise to Manohar Parrikar, the then chief minister, that he would win a gold for the state.
Son of an ex armyman, Anand redeemed the pledge when at a packed Indoor Stadium at Ponda, where he grew up learning the sport, he defeated India international R Pritam (Karnataka) in the over 87kg men’s final to win gold.
“I remember at the same event, Parrikar sir had asked why the state cannot take care of eight to ten talented sportspersons throughout their careers, if they reach a certain level,” said Anand, the only Goan to win three golds in three different editions of the National Games—2011 (Jharkhand), 2015 (Kerala) and now, 2023 (Goa). “He had instructed senior officers present there to prepare the scheme and said he would sanction it immediately. But even six years later, there’s no sign of anything.”
Anand had given up on competitive taekwondo and took to coaching in Gujarat five years ago. In his quest for a hat-trick of golds, he has struggled to strike a balance between coaching and training. But his triumph in the final suggests he still has plenty to offer.
“There are many athletes who are still struggling. We give our life for Goa and it’s important that the state takes care of athletes like me. I am 33 years old now. My parents have never told me to stop. They have always supported me. My father is almost going to retire. So, the responsibility is on me now. I hope and pray the government provides some support,” said Anand, who has been hired by an external agency to work for the Sports Authority of Gujarat.
Anand has been to two Asian Games (2010 and 2014) and has won international medals in taekwondo. He’s even defeated top-ranked players who enjoy big backing from their state governments. Similar support from Goa, he feels, can work wonders.
“You can see that many athletes who have got bronze for their state, a government job is waiting for them,” he said, providing an example of an athlete in Haryana who has permission to join his job, only after he calls time on his playing career.
“If I have the security, I will train even harder and get a medal at the next National Games,” said Anand.
For someone who has won three gold medals at three different editions of the National Games, over a span of 12 years, those words need to be taken seriously.