City youngsters shine in sports but facilities to build on success few

GURGAON: For a city whose boys and girls, hailing from both rural and urban neighbourhoods, continue to achieve in sport, the lack of quality sporting infrastructure is glaring. This week in TOI, promising swimmer Shivani Kataria said she is forced to go to Delhi for training because the facilities in Gurgaon are "not up to the mark".

Back in February, in different corners of the district could be observed two events that had sport as a common thread, but were as different from each other as 'desi' is from cosmopolitan. In the village of Mohammadpur Jharsa, a little way off NH-8, there was an all-day 'Haryana style' kabaddi contest. In an area bigger than that typically used in a kabaddi bout, the action taking place in a slight saucer-like dip in the ground, teams battled it out for supremacy, watched by an engrossed crowd (which grew in size as the day wore on).

On the same day, on the other side of the highway, at the Gurgaon Polo and Equestrian Club (inside the Golden Greens Golf Club), a sleepy Sunday afternoon came to life when top names from the Sport of Kings strutted their stuff in the Royal Roosters Polo Cup.

Earlier that month, the country's first ever baseball diamond was inaugurated, on the border of Gurgaon and Delhi. Golf, meanwhile, took root here two decades back; today, its following isn't just limited to those with dollars. While the members-only DLF Golf & Country Club has hosted global events, and is the Indian game's international face, there are a handful of facilities in and around the city where you can pay to play (and get good value for your money).

Besides, for much of the year, outside of the hot months, half marathoners (and recreational runners) as well as cyclists cram the city's streets on weekend mornings. Throw in the NCR's only all-season skating rink, and you have a city with an enticing mix of sporting tradition and aspiration.

Yet, for a place of such ambition, the absence of a world-class arena - a space to host a national athletics meet, a football match, a game of cricket, or three sets of tennis - is glaring. The Tau Devi Lal stadium is the only all-purpose sports venue in Gurgaon, but its condition leaves a lot to be desired. The stadium can host big, as it did (with much success) national wrestling in early 2016, but it's usually given short shrift by the politicians.

Come November, and international golf returns to town, in the form of the Indian Women's Open. For all its infrastructural bottlenecks, the 'Millennium City' can benefit from a top-drawer international event, or a successful local team (or two) that is embraced by Gurgaonites. But what it needs urgently are quality training facilities, because private academies are beyond the reach of all but a few.

So long as the allure of big-time sport doesn't overshadow traditional pursuits like kabaddi and kushti, an emergent sporting culture can only enhance the appeal of a city, and give tourists another reason to stop over. Sport, for Gurgaon, offers life beyond funky gastronomy and a startup scene that struggles for inspiration.