Hyderabad, July 25: The Indian junior rowing squad may have done the country proud by winning two golds and a silver at the recently concluded Asian youth rowing championships in Guangzhou, China and if you thought the prospects of senior rowing squad at the upcoming Asian Games in November in China are smooth, think again.
While there is no doubt about the talent of the rowers here, the concern for basic infrastructure seems to be on the worry list for the Indian Rowing Federation (IRF). Col. C.P. Singh Deo, president, IRF, while speaking to this newspaper said, “I had ordered for boats almost two years ago but it has still not materialised. If we don’t have boats on time, the rowers will not have proper practise before the Asian Games. The issue arose when the government wanted the foreign manufacturer who will supply us the boats to furbish a three-year bank guarantee which is not acceptable to them. That has created problems and we are working out to solve it.”
What does this mean? The team is short of three boats and the team may have to hire a few before they get into the competition in China. “The issue is that you have to get acclimatised to the boats and two to three days of practice before the event is not sufficient,” he adds.
If you thought this will hamper his target of at least seven medals that the team has set for itself at the Asiad, the answer is no. “The aim is to conquer adversities. During the last Asian Games, we managed two silvers and one bronze but this time we are aiming higher,” he says.
The team is on a high with the junior team’s show and no one will be surprised if the medal-winning show rubs off on the seniors too.