We need to create more heroes to make India a sports superpower: Vijender Singh
Vijender Singh feels India needs more heroes beyond cricket to inspire the future generations if the country wants to become a sports superpower by 2047. These heroes, he believes, will also drive a cultural change, encouraging more young Indians to pursue sports as a profession.
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«We have to create heroes to change the culture,» the former Olympic and world championships bronze medal-winning boxer, who is now a BJP leader, told PTI editors at its headquarters in an interaction here.
His comments were in response to a query on whether the government's stated goal of making India a sports superpower by 2047 was realistic.
«Over the years, the hunger to do well has kept increasing among our youth, especially those from the rural belt. So, when they see a Neeraj Chopra, they want to be like him. They want to have all that he has, and that drives them to excel,» Vijender pointed out referring to the javelin throw gold-medallist from the Tokyo Olympics.
«When kids see his picture on a peanut butter container, it makes an impact. When I started out, I merely wanted a government job, that's all but today, athletes want more,» he added.
The Bhiwani-man also said that improvement in the country's sports infrastructure is crucial to ensure the overall progress.
«We don't have good infrastructure or good stadiums. If we are serious, we need to improve that. You can't
