130cr for Messi, little for Kerala athletes: Anju flags gaps in state’s sports funding

Thiruvananthapuram: AFI senior vice-president Anju Bobby George criticised the Kerala government's priorities in sports funding. Speaking to the media during an AFI interaction at the SAI centre here on Monday, she questioned how the state could mobilise around ₹100 crore to bring Lionel Messi to Kerala, yet fail to generate comparable support for struggling athletes."When we talk about the government system we are always talking about government money. But we are bringing Messi to the state using corporate money. So my question is, why can't we do the same to help and support our athletes? Corporates and other agencies are ready to invest in sports, but the government needs to take the initiative. Now, we know that the state government can bring money into the system, they should do the same for our own athletes," Anju, the celebrated long jumper, said.Anju, the 2003 World Championship bronze medallist, was referring to the state government's efforts to host Argentina and Messi for two friendlies scheduled in Nov last year, which have since been postponed indefinitely, with reports indicating the sponsor had earmarked around ₹130 crore for the event.She contrasted this with conditions in state-run sports hostels, where athletes have reportedly faced food shortages, delayed staff salaries, and a lack of basic supplies. Food allowances have allegedly been pending for months, forcing athletes to depend on hostel staff and local vendors, while some wardens and trainers are said to have borrowed money or mortgaged valuables to ensure the athletes were fed.Anju raised concerns on the inadequate development and utilisation of basic sports facilities. While acknowledging that Kerala built a strong infrastructure for the 2015 National Games, she questioned how effectively it is being used now, and said the recent state budgets had allocated too little for sports."I'm not saying that Kerala does not have infrastructure. The state was able to build a good infrastructure for sports when they hosted the National Games in 2015. But how we are making use of those facilities should be the big question here. I don't think it's up to the mark here in Kerala. Even in the last couple of state budgets, the money allocation for sports was really less," she explained.She added that Kerala was producing fewer top athletes compared to other states such as Haryana. Her comments come after Kerala finished 14th in the 38th National Games medal tally, dropping out of the top ten for the first time, with 54 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, 24 bronze), down from 87 medals (36 gold) and a fifth-place finish in the previous edition in Goa.