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A Research Report by

GoSports Foundation

Access to Infrastructure and Expertise for Junior Athletes in India

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Report Authors – Shishir Belvi and Saisudha Sugavanam

The GoSports Foundation

79/C, 1st Cross, G Ramaiya Reddy Layout,

Benson Town, Nandidurga Road,

Bangalore: 560046 Phone: +91 80 420 480 46

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Acknowledgements

The GoSports Foundation would like to thank all the entities and individuals who have

contributed their time for the purpose of this research study.

Firstly, many thanks to all the athletes, parents and coaches who took time out from their

schedule to respond to the comprehensive questionnaires.

Thanks to the GoSports Foundation Managing Trustee Nandan Kamath for his advice and

suggestions throughout the duration of the project.

We acknowledge the efforts of the GoSports Foundation interns Anubhav Sapra and

Himanshu Gangal, for assisting with the collection and analysis of the data.

Finally, we would like to thank all the experts for their insights and opinions on the subjects

covered – Pullela Gopichand, Bhishmaraj Bam, Deckline Leitao, Shayamal Vallabhjee, Rajath

Kamal, Pradeep Kumar, John Christopher and T R Balachandran.

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Contents

About GoSports Foundation and our Programmes…………………………………………………………………………... 3

Research Objectives...................................................................................................................... 8

Research Methodology ................................................................................................................. 8

Key Inferences ............................................................................................................................ 10

Sport-wise Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 12

General Analysis

- Infrastructure and coaching facilities ............................................................................... 14

- Annual Expenditure ........................................................................................................ 15

- Sponsorships/Financial Support....................................................................................... 15

- Awareness about Sports Nutrition ................................................................................... 16

- Fitness training and related aspects ................................................................................. 19

- Awareness about Sports Psychologists/Mental conditioning ............................................. 20

- Role of schools ............................................................................................................... 22

- Career in Sports .............................................................................................................. 24

Sport-wise Analysis

Badminton ................................................................................................................................. 26

Swimming .................................................................................................................................. 28

Table Tennis ............................................................................................................................... 30

Tennis ........................................................................................................................................ 33

Lessons from the Study

- Financial support to junior athletes ................................................................................. 35

- Coach Education ............................................................................................................. 35

- Educating Parents ........................................................................................................... 36

Appendix I…………………………………………………………………...………………………………...………………...…............35

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About GoSports Foundation

GoSports Foundation (GSF) is an independent non-profit venture primarily focused on

securing funding and professional expertise for India’s best and most promising junior

Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Foundation sees sport as a powerful tool to positively

impact individuals, communities and the national consciousness, and aims to give every

individual and corporate entity the platform to participate in the life of India‘s best young

sportspersons.

Our Programmes

The PACE Scholarships from GoSports Foundation are

scholarship awards to high-performing junior Olympic and

Paralympic athletes in the age group of 13-21 years, which

provide them with crucial monetary and non-monetary support. While the monetary grant

eases the financial burden on the athletes ’ families during the athlete’s development phase,

the non-monetary support (in the form of access to a nutritionist, a sports psychologist, a

fitness expert, video analysis among other things) helps the athlete achieve higher levels of

performance. The scholarships also entitle the chosen athletes to other support such as

press and public relations, legal assistance and guidance from experts. The Scholarships are

funded by individual donors who are passionate about sports and by corporate houses,

which are willing to contribute to sports and athletes in India. Through the 2012 edition of

PACE Scholarships, GoSports Foundation currently supports 21 athletes across various

Olympic disciplines. Two PACE Scholars – Soumyajit Ghosh and Gagan Ullalmath - have gone

on to represent India at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and one PACE Scholar Sharath

Gayakwad at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

In addition to PACE Scholarships, programmes at GSF are structured as part of a three-level

pyramid with each successive higher level aimed at enabling young Indians to start, stay in

and succeed at sport.

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The ACE Grants are offered by the GoSports Foundation to high

performing athletes from Olympic and Paralympic disciplines who

have demonstrated extraordinary talent and commitment in their

chosen sport. The grant amount can be used for their training (within India and abroad),

equipment, travel and other sport related expenses.

PACER Projects are the GoSports Foundation’s special

projects aimed at research, knowledge management

and personalized athlete-oriented interventions.

Coach Education Programmes, Special Grants for specific interventions for athletes,

research projects, etc. are covered under the PACER Projects.

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Introduction

Over the past decade or so, slowly but steadily, a wider variety of sporting disciplines has

been getting increased attention in India. With the success of many Indian athletes at mega -

sporting events like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, more and

more athletes are pursuing their Olympic dreams.

While there is increased participation, it’s also true that a significant proportion of talented

young athletes drop out before they reach their prime. A study conducted by GoSports

Foundation in 2009 titled “Dropouts in Indian Sports” revealed that more than 30% of high

performing athletes tend to drop out even before they achieve their full potential1, mainly

because of the lack of support they receive when they compete in the junior circuit.

GoSports Foundation aspires to help high-performing, talented athletes remain in the sport,

and continue to excel. To gain further insight into aspects which will avoid drop outs, a

deeper understanding of the sporting ecosystem of junior athletes was required. This study

was conceptualised to strengthen GSF’s understanding of the Indian sporting ecosystem.

Specifically, this research study aims to:

Explore areas in the ecosystem of a junior athlete where GSF intervention can make

a positive difference;

Incorporate the knowledge gained through the data to run targeted athlete

development programmes in the coming years; and

Share the knowledge with other stakeholders in the Indian sport industry.

1 Richard Schulz and Christine Curnow (1988). Peak Performance and Age Among Super-athletes: Track and Field, Swimming, Baseball, Tennis and Golf. Journal of Gerontology: PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 1988, Vol. 43, No. 5, P113-120.

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Research Objectives

The main objectives of the research project were to understand the eco-system surrounding

junior Indian athletes, and potential improvement areas, in terms of:

Access to infrastructure and training facilities;

Expenses borne by the parents for the athletes’ sporting needs;

Awareness among athletes and their parents about nutritionists, sports

psychologists, physical fitness trainers and other services;

Supportiveness of schools; and

Awareness about various career options in sports.

Research Methodology

Four sports were chosen for the study - Badminton, Swimming, Table Tennis and Tennis.

These sports were chosen primarily because they are individual sports, with other common

threads like broad based participation in India, significant popularity, and long term medal

winning potential on the international stage. More than 100 high-performing2 junior

athletes from different states in India (in the age group of 12 to 16 years) and their parents

and coaches formed the sample for the study. The states were chosen with reference to the

study titled “Sports Performance Assessment of Indian States” done by Winning Matters

Consulting Pvt. Ltd., in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce

and Industry (FICCI). In this study, Indian states were ranked according to their

performances at various National and International events.3

The top 5 states for each sport, as rated in the aforementioned report, were considered for

the purpose of this study:

i. Badminton – Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi.

ii. Swimming – Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi.

iii. Table Tennis – West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat.

iv. Tennis – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

2 The athletes chosen were ranked in the Top-10 in their state, in their respective sports. 3 The events included National Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Beijing

Olympics, 2008.

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Data for the study was gained from interviews. Insights were driven by analysis of the data

and qualitative inputs from experts.

Each athlete and his/her parent(s) were given a comprehensive questionnaire4 to fill out,

and their answers were documented, tabulated and analysed.

4 Questionnaires for athletes, parents and coaches are presented in Appendix I.

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Key Inferences:

General Analysis

Parents of junior athletes taking part in the four sports studied spend on an average INR

2,00,000 (Rupees two lakh) per annum on their respective wards’ sporting expenses. It

was seen that this is a significant portion of their household income (23% of the parents

answered that they spend more than 40% of their annual income on the child’s sporting

needs).

In terms of financial support/sponsorship for the athletes’ sporting requirements, out of

the 91 parents surveyed, 16 parents (18%) said that they were getting third party

support in some form. The support was either in the form of equipment (which included

racquets, apparel, kits, shoes, etc.) or in the form of financial support (offered mainly by

Public Sector companies like Indian Oil, Air India, etc.).

A large percentage (67%) of junior athlete respondents expressed interest in pursuing

the sport professionally. However, it was seen that the level of awareness about various

career options in/through sport was ‘Low’ for most of the athletes, and their parents

(54% athletes and 53% parents). They had little to no knowledge about the

opportunities provided by the government, or by public/private sector companies for

high performing sports-people.

Having a family member playing sport appears to be a big influencing factor (70 athletes

out of 113 had a family member playing competitive sport at some point in life). In

Tennis, the influence appears to be the highest (14 out of 18)

It appears that most schools attended by the athlete respondents recognise the level of

commitment these athletes put in to stay in the sport and give them special treatment

in terms of attendance and re-conducting missed classes. 87% (98 out of 113) of the

athletes said their schools were very supportive in terms of attendance. 64% (72 out of

113) of the athletes attend school regularly, and for 33% (36 out of 113) of the athletes

schools make efforts to conduct special classes and provide special coaching to

compensate for missed classes.

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Sport-wise analysis of various aspects revealed through the research

study

Sport

Attributes Respondents

Results of valuation

Badminton Swimming Table

Tennis Tennis

Satisfaction wrt Infrastructure/Facilities

(weighted average over a 5-point scale)5

Athletes 4.16 3.44 3.69 4.33

Awareness about Sports

Nutritionists (% of respondents who’re aware of sports

nutritionists)

Athletes 64% 48% 88% 88%

Parents 76% 69% 79% 94%

Sponsorship/Financial Support (% of respondents who’re

recipients of financial support) Parents 24% 13% 17% 12%

Awareness about nutritional

supplements (% of respondents who’re aware of nutritional

supplements)

Athletes 52% 68% 73% 94%

Consumption of supplements (% of athletes who consume

nutritional supplements)

Athletes 38% 56% 27% 50%

Access to a fitness

trainer/physio (% of athletes who have access to a

trainer/physio)

Athletes 45% 24% 50% 88%

Access to Gym physio (% of athletes who have access to a

gym)

Athletes 68% 36% 23% 83%

Awareness about sports

psychologists (% of athletes who’re aware of sports

psychologists)

Athletes 43% 52% 65% 83%

Parents 56% 54% 72% 88%

Willingness to pursue career in

sport (% of respondents willing to pursue sport as career)

Athletes 73% 60% 54% 83%

Parents 82% 50% 56% 76%

5Score indicates satisfaction on a five point scale, 5 indicating highest level of satisfaction

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Sport-wise Analysis

As seen from the table above:

Badminton

- Badminton athletes and parents were seen to have higher willingness to pursue the

sport as a career

- Higher levels of satisfaction with respect to infrastructure and coaching facilities (40

out of 44 athletes rated satisfaction levels as 3 or higher, on a 5-point scale) when

compared to the other sports under consideration

Swimming

- Higher levels of awareness and consumption of nutritional supplements, when

compared to other sports under consideration

Table Tennis

- High levels of awareness about services available to athletes, but very limited access

to these services (nutrition, sports psychology, fitness experts)

- Low willingness seen among athletes and parents to pursue the sport as a career

Tennis

- Tennis athletes and parents showed the highest levels of awareness about services

available to athletes (nutrition, sports psychology, fitness experts , etc.)

- High levels of willingness to pursue the sport as a career

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Research Study Findings

General Analysis

A total of 113 athletes across the four sports were asked to participate in this study. The

breakdown of the number of athletes in each sport is as below:

Figure1: Sport-wise distribution of respondents

Data was collected from these athletes and their parents on the following topics:

Infrastructure and training facilities

Annual expenditure on sport

Awareness about sports nutrition

Fitness training and related aspects

Awareness about sports psychology/mental conditioning

Role of Schools

Career in sports

Each of these topics is analysed in detail in the following sections of this report.

Badminton, 44

Swimming, 25 Table Tennis, 26

Tennis , 18

No

. of

ath

lete

s

Sport

Figure 1

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Infrastructure and coaching facilities

For the purpose of this research study, infrastructure referred to the quality of the

courts/pools/tables at the academy where the athletes trained, the quality of coaching and

the ease of access to the premises.

When asked to rate the level of satisfaction in terms of faci lities available, the athletes’

responses read as follows:

Figure 2: Athletes' level of satisfaction – Facilities/Infrastructure

Figure 2 shows the satisfaction levels of the athletes with respect to facilities and

infrastructure available in their chosen sport as a weighted average6 on a 5-point scale.

A sport-by-sport analysis of this aspect is presented in later sections of this document.

6Responses were collected on a 5-point scale – 5 being the most satisfied.

Badminton 4.16

Swimming 3.44

Table Tennis 3.69

Tennis 4.33

Sati

sfac

tio

n le

vel

Sport

Figure 2

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Annual Expenditure

Annual expenses referred to the expenses incurred by an athlete for training, equipment,

travel to tournaments (athlete’s travel costs only, excluding parents’ travel costs), boarding

and lodging, nutritional supplements, medical treatment.

Sport Average annual

expenditure (in INR)

Range (Per Annum

expenditure, in INR)

No. of

respondents (Parents)

Badminton 2 lakhs 36,000 – 4 lakhs 34

Swimming 1.8 lakhs 24,000 – 4.5 lakhs 15

Table Tennis 1.25 lakhs 18,000 – 3.5 lakhs 24

Tennis 6 lakhs 1 lakh – 24 lakhs 13

Table 1: Average Annual Expenditure

Further, 32 out of 91 parents said they spend more than 30% of their annual income on the

child’s sporting needs, which is a significant portion of their income. It is worth noting here

that tennis is more expensive than the other three sports because of the prevalent trend

where all the juniors prefer to train abroad, either in Spain or in the USA. 78% (14 out of 18)

tennis players said they have attended at least one training camp abroad in the last two

years.

Sponsorships/Financial Support

Parents of the athletes were asked if their child was getting any third party financial

support/sponsorship for their sporting requirements. Out of the 91 parents who responded

to this question, 16 said that they were getting support in some form. The support was

either in the form of equipment (which included racquets, apparel, kits, shoes, etc.) or in the

form of financial support (offered mainly by Public Sector companies like Indian Oil, Air

India, etc.).

Table 2: Parents’ responses – Support/Scholarships

Question Asked: Are you getting any financial

support/scholarships? Total

No 75

Yes 16

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50% 50%

Do you follow a strict diet plan?

Yes

No 67%

33%

Are you aware of Nutritional

supplements?

Yes

No

42% 58%

Do you take any Nutritional

supplements?

Yes

No

21%

79%

Have you ever consulted a

professional sports nutritionist?

Yes

No

Awareness about Sports Nutrition

The athletes and their parents were asked to answer questions to check their level of

awareness about nutrition, nutritional supplements and sports nutritionists.

Athletes’ responses – Sports nutrition

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71%

12%

17%

Do you think having Sports Nutritionists

is important?

Yes

No

Maybe

79%

21%

Are you aware of sports

nutritionists?

Yes

No 67%

33%

Are the services of a sports nutritionist easily available in …

Yes

No

The charts in this section above describe the responses of athletes to the questions

displayed. The following data are noteworthy:

Out of the 79 athletes who said they are aware of sports nutritionists, 56 of them

have never sought consultation with a professional sports nutritionist.

Out of the 76 athletes who said they are aware of nutritional supplements, 33 of

them do NOT take any supplements.

Parents’ responses – Sports nutrition

Among the parents, 87% (79 out of 91) expressed that they have either already

consulted a nutritionist, or that they are willing to take their child for a consultation.

33% (30 out of 91) cited inaccessibility of a nutritionist in their city/town as the main

reason for not having had a consultation, yet.

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Some parents (4 out of 91), though, expressed reluctance about the idea of their

children taking supplements. Their main apprehensions were regarding doping, and

whether or not the supplements were cleared by WADA. Another important factor was

that they were worried as to how the supplements would affect the body of the young

kids, in their formative years.

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57% 29%

6%

4% 4%

Who designed your fitness routine?

Coach

Physio/FitnesstrainerGym instructor

Father/Parents

Fitness training and related aspects

Athletes were asked questions regarding their fitness routines, exercise schedules, injury

management, etc. Their responses were documented, and the analysis of that data is as

below:

Out of the 113 athletes, 55 did not have access to a gym

A majority of the athletes’ fitness routines were designed by their coaches

Strength & Conditioning (S & C) is still years behind in India. Common misconceptions like loads of long-distance running to build stamina (cardiovascular fitness) still exist. Training programmes meant for improving stamina have to specific to the sport played. Myths such as weight training stunts growth, supplements like creatine monohydrate produce injuries or that yoga is the best overall technique for sports performances still persist.

Deckline Leitao, CSCS, NASM-PES, CPT (USA); PG-Dip Sport

(UK), BSc Sport Science (South Africa)

Fitness training in India

needs a lot of attention.

This is an area that

severely lacks individuals

with the latest and most

relevant knowledge in

the domain.

Shayamal Vallabhjee,

Sports Scientist, Fitness

Expert (Fitness Consultant,

Indian Cricket Team, 2003

World Cup)

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42%

58%

Do you practice specific mental

strength/conditioning exercises?

Yes

No

57%

43%

Are you aware of Sports Psychologists?

Yes

No

Awareness about Sports Psychologists/Mental conditioning

Athletes and parents were asked to answer questions about their awareness about sports

psychologists, and their importance for the athlete’s sporting performance. Here are some

of the responses from the athletes and parents:

Athletes’ responses – Sports psychology

Mental conditioning exercises that athletes are following primarily comprise of Yoga and

meditation (34 athletes out of 113). Some of them have attended the Neuro–Linguistic

Programme (NLP), and others practice breathing exercises.

In most of the cases, coaches take up the task of mental conditioner (for 42 athletes).

In cases where the services of a psychologist are available, awareness is high, and some

athletes have even sought consultation from a professional sports psychologist (7

athletes).

When asked if they thought sports psychologists are important at their level, 60% (68

out of 113) athletes said ‘Yes’ and 35% (40 out of 113) said ‘Maybe’.

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86%

14%

Are you aware of Sports

Psychologists?

Yes

No72%

14% 14%

Do you think sports psychologists are

important for your child?

Yes

No

Maybe

The role of a sports psychologist is best suited for a coach. But the problem in India is that there aren’t too many qualified coaches, who can dedicate all the energy and time to focus on a small group of 4 or 5 athletes. This is why a specialist is required, to help the athletes with mental conditioning. A sports psychologist can influence the entire thought process of an athlete, and help them cope with pressure at important stages of a match or a tournament.

Bhishmaraj Bam, Veteran sports psychologist

Parents’ responses – Sports psychology

For many junior athletes, the coaches take up the role of psychologists , teaching them

simple techniques like time management, goal setting, visualisation, etc. Parents are also

aware of the services of qualified experts in mental training, and are actively vying to get

professional help for their children in sports.

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64%

36%

Do you attend school regularly?

Yes

No87%

13%

Is your school supportive with

respect to attendance?

Yes

No

32%

68%

Does your school provide special

coaching to you?

Yes

No, notrequired

Role of schools

Most of the athletes interviewed, apart from being in the top 10 in their states, were also

ranked highly in the National circuit as well. Some Badminton athletes train at academies

with a residential programme. Most of the Tennis players are constantly on tour, as they

take part in a couple of tournaments every month. The swimmers train for about 6-8 hours

every day, and the Table Tennis players also participate in numerous tournaments which

require them to travel a lot. The athletes were asked how regularly they attend school and

also about how supportive their schools are of their sporting careers.

Athletes’ responses – Role of Schools

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The following inferences can be drawn based on the analysis of the data displayed above:

Most schools are very supportive towards the high-performing athletes. From the

survey, it emerged that a number of the athletes (36% - 41 out of 113) are given

permission so that they do not have to attend classes regularly, and can only come to

school to write the exams. In some cases, the teachers extend their help and take special

classes for the athletes.

A few of the athletes (15 out of 113) complained that the school did not give them

permission to miss classes, and that they found it difficult to cope with sports and

studies simultaneously.

From the responses, it appears that at a high level schools recognise the kids’ talent and

understand the level of commitment these athletes are putting in to stay in the sport,

and give them special treatment in terms of attendance and re-conducting missed

classes.

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67%

30%

3%

Are you willing to pursue sport as a

career?

DefinitelyYes

Haven'tdecided yet

No

54% 44%

2%

Awareness about Govt.

policies/employment schemes

Low

Meduim

Meduim-High

Career in Sports

In the Dropout Study conducted by GoSports Foundation in 2009, it was found that non-

viability of career options was one of the prime factors for high performing young athletes

to drop out from sports. In this survey, athletes were asked about their awareness about

career options in sports, and also their willingness to pursue sports as a career. Parents

were asked if they would want their child to pursue sports as a career.

Listed below are responses of the athletes and their parents, regarding career in sports.

Athletes’ responses – Career in Sports

To gauge the awareness levels of parents, they were asked to describe in detail their

knowledge regarding various government policies and job opportunities for national level

elite athletes. Their responses were analysed and rated as Low, Medium, or Medium-high.

Low – Respondents who had absolutely no knowledge were marked as low

Medium – Respondents had either heard about such policies, or knew some athlete who

had received a job offer under such a scheme, but still had limited understanding of the

matter.

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69%

22%

9%

Do you want your child to take up sports as a

full time career?

Yes

Haven'tdecided yet

No

53%

42%

5%

Awareness about Govt.

policies/employment schemes

Low

Meduim

Meduim-High

Medium-high – These respondents had either received an offer, or had applied for one.

Their knowledge about the subject was fairly high, but they suggested that they would like

to know more details regarding policies by the government

Parents’ Responses – Career in Sports

From the above data, it can be noted that two out of every three athletes would like

to pursue sport as a career, and that the parent community’s response aligns with

this aspiration (two out of every three parents want their child to take up sport as a

full time career).

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Sport-wise analysis

Badminton

A total of 44 athletes (and their parents) formed the sample size for Badminton. All the

athletes are ranked in the top 10 in their state, in their age group.

Important Findings

Analysis of the data collected from these 44 athletes and their parents revealed the

following:

The average age at which junior athletes start playing competitively is 10 years.

Each of the athletes surveyed trained at an academy, with training sessions in the

morning and evening. The sessions include both on-court as well as fitness training.

There is a high level of satisfaction among the athletes in terms of infrastructure

available.

Figure 3: Badminton players’ level of satisfaction – Facilities/Infrastructure

Almost 55% (24 out of 44) of the athletes do not need to buy their own equipment,

as it is sponsored by the academy where they train. This includes racquets, apparel

and shoes. Typically, the contracts with the academies are renewed every year.

1, 2 2, 2

3, 8

4, 17

5, 15

No

. of

ath

lete

s

Satisfaction Level

Figure 3

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On an average, parents of Badminton athletes spend about INR 2,00,000 (Rupees

two lakh) per year on coaching fees, equipment and other sporting requirements.

38% (13 out of 34) spend more than 30% of their annual income on the sport.

Badminton is clearly one of the better developed sports in the country today. With

academies receiving corporate funding, and young athletes getting sponsorships from

various equipment vendors, the sport has risen in popularity over the past few years, and is

showing signs of making India a super-power on the world circuit.

Pullela Gopichand, National Badminton Coach

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Swimming

In the current study, 25 top swimmers from four states formed the sample size. Most of

them were medal winners in one or more events at the National Championships held in

Chennai in July 2012.

Important Findings

Analysis of the data received from the 25 swimmers and their parents revealed the

following:

The average age for swimmers to start competitive swimming is 9.5 years, and by

the time they are 12 or 13 years old, they are inducted into the “Advanced” training

camps.

They train for two sessions every day, each session consisting of an hour or two in

the pool and fitness training.

On being asked to rate the level of satisfaction in terms of the infrastructure and

facilities available at the pool, the following responses were recorded:

Figure 4: Swimmers’ level of satisfaction – Facilities/Infrastructure

1, 2

2, 0

3, 13

4, 5 5, 5

No

. of

ath

lete

s

Satisfaction Level

Figure 4

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23 out of 25 swimmers rated their satisfaction levels as 3 or higher, which suggests

that they are fairly satisfied. However, all the swimmers also suggested that their

performances would most certainly improve if they had access to better facilities.

An important factor all swimmers mentioned was the lack of easy access to heated

pools. One of the reasons Maharashtra and Karnataka have been able to successfully

produce the bulk of the top national swimmers is mainly due to the moderate winter

prevalent in Mumbai and Bangalore. The swimmers of Delhi complained that during

winter, they have to completely stop training as the water is just too cold for

swimming.

As mentioned earlier in this report, on an average, parents spend about INR 1,80,000

(Rupees one lakh eighty thousand) per annum on training and equipment for

swimmers (7 out of 16 parents spend more than 30% of their income on the child’s

swimming needs).

Grass-root level development is the key. Local governing bodies, schools, colleges should

construct public pools, to get more young kids interested in the sport. The need of the hour

is to have more qualified coaches. Young swimmers are often taught wrong techniques by

unqualified coaches which often results in the athletes burning out prematurely and not

reaching their full potential.

Pradeep Kumar, Indian national swimming coach

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1, 0 2, 1

3, 18

4, 4 5, 3

No

. of

ath

lete

s

Satisfaction Level

Figure 5

Table Tennis

Top athletes from four different states were part of this study. A total of 26 athletes and

their parents answered the respective questionnaires.

Important Findings

Analysis of the data received from the 26 Table Tennis athletes and their parents revealed

the following:

The average age for Table Tennis athletes to start playing competitively is about

8 years.

Figure 8 below shows the athletes’ responses on being asked to rate the

infrastructure and facilities available to them.

Figure 5: Table Tennis athletes' satisfaction levels– Infrastructure/Facilities

The graph clearly shows that most athletes are fairly satisfied (25 out of 26 have rated their

satisfaction level as 3 or higher) with the kind of facilities they have access to. However, all

athletes (but one) suggested that their performance would improve with better facilities.

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The athletes train at their respective clubs/academies. On an average, a junior

athlete gets to train at the table for about 3-4 hours a day, spread across two

sessions.

Figure 6: Table Tennis athletes - Satisfaction with the coach

As mentioned earlier, on an average, parents spend about INR 1,25,000 (Rupees one

lakh twenty five thousand) per year to support the child’s sporting requirements (10

out of 24 parents who responded to the questionnaire said they spend more than

30% of their income on the child’s sporting needs ).

1, 0 2, 0

3, 13

4, 8

5, 5

No

. of

ath

lete

s

Satisfaction Level

Figure 6

Table Tennis is a highly technical sport. Each player has his/her own style of play, and

we need experts who can design fitness routines which best suit the players’ styles.

Also, there isn’t awareness among the players and coaches regarding aspects like

nutrition and physical fitness training.

Rajath Kamal, former Indian Table Tennis player

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19%

81%

Financial Support/Scholarships

Yes

No

19% (5 out of 26) of the athletes received financial support.

The reason elite athletes choose to train abroad is because of a strong domestic league

structure. Players compete against high-quality opponents every week, forcing them to

stay on their toes throughout the year. The difference is clearly seen during the off-season,

where players tend to relax and not practice with high intensity.

G Sathiyan, Indian Table Tennis player

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Tennis

For this study, 18 top-ranking Tennis athletes, and their parents, across five states filled out

the questionnaires.

Important Findings

The following observations were made after interacting with the athletes and their parents:

Tennis athletes on the national circuit start playing competitively at an average age

of 8.5 years, and by the time they are about 11 or 12 years old, they would have

moved into the “advanced” training groups, training twice a day, and also

concentrating on fitness.

Most of the athletes follow a similar pattern of on-court and off-court routines. On

an average, each of them trains on the court for about 3 hours per day, spends an

hour per day on fitness training, and another hour a day in the gym for strength

training.

The graph below showcases the level of satisfaction for the athletes in terms of

infrastructure and training facilities:

Figure 7: Tennis athletes' satisfaction levels– Infrastructure/Facilities

1, 0 2, 0

3, 4 4, 4

5, 10

No

. of

ath

lete

s

Satisfaction Level

Figure 7

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78%

22%

Sponsorship/Equipment Partnership

Yes

No

From the graph, it can be seen that the majority of the respondents are satisfied

with the quality of infrastructure and training facilities available. However, most (14

out of 18) of the athletes expressed a desire to train abroad, or have already

attended a training camp – either in Spain or in the USA. Academies such as that of

Sanchez-Casal’s in Spain, Bob Brett’s in Italy and Nick Bollettieri’s in America offer

structured programmes for elite athletes, and provide training in a highly

professional manner.

From the data collected from the parents, it is evident that Tennis is a very expensive

sport. The expenses are mainly due to travel for tournaments and equipment.

Training fees for advanced levels with qualified coaches are also high.

Another important reason for Tennis athletes spending a lot of money on training is

because of overseas training. A player training in Spain would spend about INR

65,000 (Rupees sixty five thousand) a month. 56% (10 out of 18) of the parents said

they spend more than 30% of their annual income on the child’s sporting needs.

About 78% (14 out of 18) athletes are getting sponsorships in the form of equipment

and apparel partnerships. Most leading equipment manufacturers sponsor racquets,

shoes, apparel to the top ranked players.

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Lessons from the Study

During the course of the research study, a lot of time was spent interacting with coaches

and parents of the athletes. Apart from the areas covered through the questionnaire, each

of the coaches and parents expressed concerns about areas which they felt needed

improvement in the Indian sporting ecosystem.

On the basis of these discussions, and multiple brainstorming sessions at the Foundation,

we have engineered our programmes in such a way that each of our programmes delivers

maximum and lasting impact to the people involved.

Listed below are some of the lessons learnt during the course of from the study, and how

we have incorporated them in the programmes at GoSports Foundation.

Financial support to junior athletes

Through the study, we were able to understand the amount of money each of the athletes

spent on an annual basis for their sporting expenses. This knowledge helped us streamline

the PACE Scholarships Programme. We not only formalised the scholarship grant in terms

of monetary support, but also identified areas where a large percentage of funds were

required. This has helped us make meaningful interventions in the athletes’ careers by

providing them sufficient monetary help, while also reducing the costs involved.

Coach Education

An aspect that was emphasised by all the surveyed coaches was the lack of the number of

high-quality coaches, in their respective sporting disciplines. For a rapidly evolving sport like

Badminton, there are hardly any coach education programmes in India. Most of the coaches

are trained in SAI centres, but the methods taught need to be refreshed frequently, and

brought up to date with the latest trends being followed in more successful countries like

China, Indonesia and Malaysia. For Tennis, young players choose to go abroad to get access

to better training (as described in the sport-specific analysis for Tennis). Swimming is

concentrated only in a few centres in India, with the top coaches training at those centres.

Same is the case for Table Tennis, which requires a high level of skill in a coach to

understand each player’s style of play, and to work with players of different styles.

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In this regard, the GoSports Foundation’s PACER Projects were conceptualised to improve

the skills of these coaches by sharing with them the knowledge and experience of senior

coaches. The “Coach the Coaches Programmes” were launched in Feb-March 2013, with 2

high impact coach education workshops for Badminton Coaches across India.

GoSports Foundation believes that imparting coach education will not only ensure transfer

of knowledge from senior coaches, but also lead to talent identification and care in all parts

of the country – as opposed to the current scenario, where the top players in any sport are

concentrated only at the few academies which offer top class coaching facilities.

Educating Parents

Through the course of the study, many interactions with parents and coaches suggested

that there still exist certain doubts regarding aspects like

nutritional supplements,

weight training,

career options in sports/post sporting career, etc

Doubts about the right age to start weight training for kids, the right age to start

consumption of supplements, etc. are prevalent among parents of top ranked athletes as

well.

To address this issue, GoSports Foundation would conduct an Athletes’ Conclave for all the

GSF scholars, as well as top ranked athletes in Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. Parents

and coaches will also be invited to attend the Conclave. The Conclave will aim to bring

together leading sportspersons to share their experiences with the budding athletes, and

will also include various info-sessions with experts from various fields like nutrition, fitness,

strength and conditioning, media and journalism, law, etc. to give the athletes a holistic

view of the sports ecosystem in India, and the best practices which will help them reach the

top of their game.

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Appendix I

Questions for athletes:

Name:

Sport:

Age Group:

Rank: State - __ National - __

Home Town:

Introduction:

1. At what age did you start playing this sport? Since how many years have you been

playing this sport?

2. Level of sport: District/State/National/International

3. Did anyone in your family play any sport? At what level?

4. Who introduced you to this sport?

Infrastructure and coaching facilities:

5. Where do you train? Who is your primary coach?

6. How many coaches have you had before? Enlist them, along with the time you were

training under that coach. Describe the reasons for changing your coach.

7. At what age did you have regular access to a State level coach?

8. How often do you miss your training? A) Never B) Less than 5 classes a month C) 5-

10 classes a month D) I take a break for 10 days once a quarter

9. Why do you miss your training A) School work (tuition, exam) B) Illness C) Injury

10. How many kilometres do you have to travel to and from the academy? A) Less than 5

KM B) 5-10 KM C)More than 10KM

11. How many hours in a day do you get to access the court/table/pool at your

academy?

On court/pool time -

Fitness -

Others (if any, please describe) -

12. Is the equipment sponsored by the academy or do you buy it on your own?

13. Are you satisfied with the quality of the court/table/pool, and the sports equipment

you have? How much would your performance improve if you have access to better

infrastructure (court/table/pool, or equipment)? A) Will improve vastly B) Will

improve to certain extent C) Do not see any improvement

14. How often do you speak to your coach? A)Every day B) Once a week C) Rarely, I’m

too scared to speak to my coach

15. Do you think you get enough attention from your coach?

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16. Have you ever been coached by an international coach? If yes, from which country

and how often?

Awareness about nutritional, physical fitness and mental coaching for athletes:

17. Do you follow a strict diet plan? A) Yes B) No

If yes, who prescribed it for you?

18. What does your daily food intake consist of?

19. Are you aware of nutritional supplements?

20. Do you take any nutritional supplements? If yes, what are they? Who prescribed

them for you?

21. Are you aware of sports nutritionists? A) Yes B) No. Do you think having access to a

sports nutritionist is important at your level? A) Yes B) No

22. Have you ever consulted a professional nutritionist? If yes, how did you find out

about him/her?

23. Have you ever had a major/minor injury till now? If yes, how did you deal with it?

Did you consult a physiotherapist/fitness expert?

24. Do you have access to a gym? If yes, please describe your fitness regimen at the gym.

If No, what are the other physical fitness exercises do you do?

25. Who (gym instructor/coach/physical fitness expert) designed your gym

routines/exercises?

26. Have you ever had access to physical fitness trainer? If yes who?

27. How do you prepare for a match where you are competing against an opponent who

is ranked higher/lower ranked that you? A) Nervous and fear of losing to that player

B) Will prepare myself to give my best against that player C) Don’t bother about

losing. Will go out and give my best

28. How do you react after losing a match? A) Upset and you keep thinking about the

game till my next match B) Sad for a day and begin to focus on the next match C)

Losing doesn’t bother me D) When I face the same person next time, I fear losing to

them again

29. As a part of your training, do you do anything specific to improve your

concentration? Describe briefly.

30. Are you aware of sports psychologists? Do you think they are important at your

level?

Awareness of various career options in sports:

31. Where do you see yourself in the next 5/10 years?

32. Are you willing to pursue sport as a career? A) Definitely yes B) haven’t decided C)

No

33. Do you know that the govt. offers special jobs for National level elite athletes? A) Yes

B) No

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34. When you get close to writing your board exam, what would you do A) Quit playing

sport and concentrate on my exams B) Manage both C) Don’t care how well I

perform in the exam, will focus on my sport

Role of schools in the development of athletes:

35. Which school do you go to? What board? What class are you studying in?

36. Do you attend school regularly? If not, how do you manage to cope up with your

studies?

37. Is your school very supportive with respect to attendance?

38. Do they give you special coaching to compensate for the missed classes?

39. What is your overall percentage in exams?

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Questions for parents:

Expenses incurred to pursue sport and source of sponsorship if any:

1. Briefly describe the expenses for your child’s sport

Equipment -

Travel -

Coaching -

Other expenses, if any (please describe) -

2. What is the annual income of your household?

A) Less than 5 lakhs pa B) Between 5-10 lakhs pa C) Between 10-25 lakhs pa D) More

than 25 lakhs pa

3. What percentage of you yearly income is spent on the child’s sporting expenses?

4. Are you getting any financial support/sponsorship? If yes, please provide details.

5. What changes have you had to make in your lifestyle (in the last 3-4 years) to

support your child’s sporting career? Please describe briefly.

6. Do you travel with your child for all the tournaments?

7. Do you immediately buy equipment for your children as soon as they ask for it?

8. Did you play sport? If yes, at what level?

9. How many children do you have?

Do the other children also play competitive sports? If yes, which sport?

Awareness about nutritional and mental coaching for athletes:

10. Are you aware of sports nutritionists?

11. Are the services of a sports nutritionist easily available in your city/town? Have you

ever consulted them?

If yes, whom did you consult and how was the experience?

If No, then would you want to take your child for a consultation?

12. Are you aware of Sports psychologists? Do you think it will help your child perform

better if he/she has access to a sports psychologist?

Awareness of various career options in sports:

13. Where do you see your child in the next 5/10 years?

14. How do you think your child will be able to cope with academics as well as sports at

crucial junctures like say, 12th Std.?

15. What percentage of marks are you comfortable with your child getting in school?

16. Do you want your child take sports as a full time career?

If not, why?

17. Are you aware of the various govt. policies in place and special jobs for National level

elite athletes?

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Role of schools in the development of athletes:

18. Do you think your child your child is able to handle academics and sports training

effectively?

19. Does your child get any special permission with regards to attendance in school to

enable them participate in tournaments?

20. Does the school conduct special classes for your child to cope up with the syllabus?

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Questions for coaches:

Infrastructure and coaching facilities:

1. How many athletes train in this academy?

2. How many courts do you have? How many hours does each athlete get to access the

facility?

3. If any of your athletes are top 10 in the country, do they get any special attention?

4. Please describe the domestic league structure in your state.

5. Does you academy get any corporate funding or any support from the government?

If yes, please describe.

6. Do you have a selection process for the athletes to get into your academy? If yes,

what is the process?

7. Are you aware of various technological advancements used by athletes across the

world to improve their skills? Do you think it will be helpful if you had access to that

kind of technology?

Awareness about nutritional, physical fitness and mental coaching for athletes:

8. Do you actively suggest that your athletes consult a professional sports nutritionist?

9. Do you actively suggest that your athletes consult a professional sports psychologist?

10. How do you handle injuries to your athletes? Do you ask them to consult a

professional fitness expert?