It is pits here, says Anju George

<div class="section1"><div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="45.3%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br /><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br /><img src="/photo/365921.cms" alt="/photo/365921.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Anju George</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">BANGALORE: The Athens Olympics is barely nine months away and for the hopeful, the countdown has begun in earnest.India''s best bet in the athletics field, long jump queen <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/337217.cms">Anju Bobby</a> George, is back in training, following a month''s layoff. <br /><br />Anju''s ground-breaking <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/337217.cms" target="_blank">bronze medal</a> at the World Championships in July this year has only hyped expectations. From now on, every hour counts.<br /><br />With training comes the physical aches and pains, doubts and worries, and having to make do with training equipment far below world class standards. These battles she waged and won. The medal at the <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/221284.cms" target="_blank">World Championships</a> changed nothing - her fight against the system and callous attitude of powers-that-be continues. <br /><br />When <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/221284.cms">Anju</a> first captured the imagination of Indian sporting buffs with her bronze medal performance at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in July 2002, the central government was quick to announce a cash incentive of Rs 10 lakh. Though 15 months have passed, Anju has received just Rs 2 lakh - through post. <br /><br />When she won gold at the <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/207800.cms">Busan Asian Games</a> four months later, the government again made haste in announcing a Rs 20-lakh bonus. Anju has received just Rs 5 lakh. Little wonder, she is disappointed.<br /><br />"People only <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/185122.cms">dream of winning</a> a World Championships medal. In Paris, we proved it''s possible and that even an Olympic medal is within our grasp. Yet, nothing has changed," said the star athlete. "Why do they make promises when they can''t keep them? People want a world-class performance, but do little to help us achieve it."<br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: 8"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="71.9%"> <colgroup> <col width="49.1%" /> <col width="50.4%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">PEOPLE WHO READ THIS STORY ALSO READ...</span></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="49.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e3f1ff=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/365922.cms" alt="/photo/365922.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-size:=""> </span><a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/352524.cms" target="_blank">Bhajji axed as India take on Australia</a></div> </td> <td width="50.4%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e3f1ff=""> <div class="Normal"><#img src="/photo/365922.cms" alt="/photo/365922.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-size:=""> </span><a href="http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/352215.cms" target="_blank">Pakistani men are great-looking: Urmila</a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="49.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e3f1ff=""> <div class="Normal"><#img src="/photo/365922.cms" alt="/photo/365922.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-size:=""> </span><a href="/articleshow/351523.cms" target="_blank">IIT-ians take up Dubey cause</a></div> </td> <td width="50.4%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e3f1ff=""> <div class="Normal"><#img src="/photo/365922.cms" alt="/photo/365922.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-size:=""> </span><a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/353380.cms" target="_blank">Om Puri and Liz Hurley in casting coup</a></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br /><a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/196795.cms">Anju</a>, however, counts herself fortunate as she receives a scholarship under the National Sports Development Fund. This scheme, too, is mired in red tape. <br /><br />Prior to her departure to the US, where she trained under Mike Powell, Anju and her husband and coach Robert Bobby George spent more than a month running from pillar to post getting the request sanctioned. With inferior training facilities in India, Anju is forced to train abroad. <br /><br />"We lost over a month in training, which upset our schedule. A committee is needed to sanction an individual''s request, but to get the members of the committee together at a particular place and time itself is a big task," said Robert. <br /><br />One member of the committee is the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry - its contribution to the fund last year was Rs 500!<br /><br />This year, Anju hopes to rope in a sponsor. "With a sponsor, we won''t have to rely on the government. We have become better fighters. 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