MAHE, NGO train Siddis for shot at Olympics

Manipal: Young Swetha and Florine, from the backward Siddi community in Karnataka, dream of winning Olympic medals and that received a big push when Bridges of Sports Foundation, an NGO, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) joined hands to train them scientifically and improve their performance.
The Siddis have settled mainly in Yellapura, Haliyal, Mundgod and Sirsi taluks and have been in India for over 500 years. Studies have shown that Siddis in Karnataka, much like in other parts of India, are isolated, economically and socially neglected and predominantly stay in forest dwellings. This limited their access to resources and opportunities. According to studies published in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, the Siddis are a unique Indian tribe of African, South Asian and European ancestry.
Bridges of Sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MAHE to build an athletics ecosystem in Uttara Kannada which is home to many Siddis who are naturally gifted athletes. It’s the first 360-degree support programme for rural athletes.
The NGO will help spot and support talented athletes. “Two of them, Ravi and Shalini Siddi, are already within 10% of international records with just a few months of training. We also conduct information sessions for parents, team building activities and personality development workshops for athletes,” said founder Nitish Chiniwar.
Shobha ME, joint secretary, sports council, MAHE and assistant professor, mathematics, MIT, Manipal, said, “MAHE has always been looking for a balanced approach to sports and academics. This time, we wanted to support Siddis and bring them to limelight. It’s a permanent programme to support them.”
The NGO will use sports science and focus on injury prevention and nutrition.
Ten of 17 athletes in a two-week residential programme at Manipal from May 20 are Siddis and will undergo scientific assessment and training to improve their performance. All these athletes are being trained to win berths in the national squad for the 2024 Tokyo Olympics. Sports science students will also visit collect and assess periodical training data.
SAI scheme flopped
In 1987, Sports Authority of India started a scheme to train members of the Siddi community and 65 members were initially chosen for athletic events as part of the Special Area Games Scheme. The scheme was discontinued six years later, and although there were an effort to revive it in the 2000s, it was criticised for short-sightedness, lack of inclusiveness and proper coaches.