Sports movement in India is growing considerably: Indian winter sports legend Shiva Keshavan

Shiva Keshavan has competed at six Winter Olympics.

The arrival of the Olympics in Paris is heralded with grandeur, resonating across nations as athletes from around the globe vie for the coveted gold medal. Behind every champion lies a journey of lifelong grooming, starting from childhood.

In a significant initiative, the International Olympic Committee, in collaboration with the Reliance Foundation in India through the Olympic Values Education Programme and Let’s Move India, celebrated Olympic Day by engaging 1000 children from various NGOs across Mumbai.

The event aimed to inspire these youngsters through activities such as basketball, races, and football shootouts, culminating in a lively 45-minute session led by six-time Olympian Shiva Keshavan, India’s pioneering representative in luge sports.

Khel Now had the privilege of interviewing Shiva Keshavan at the event, where he shared insights on a variety of topics. 

OVEP and Let’s Move India initiative

Shiva Keshavan who was a part of the event, shared his thoughts about these initiatives or campaigns and how they can help get the better of each and every child in India. “The Let’s Move India is a fantastic campaign to take the movement of sport to the masses in India.

“We have a young nation and Reliance Foundation is at the forefront of this initiative to bring the Olympics to India, both physically and in spirit.

“The fact that this programme reaches out to young kids in schools, in remote corners of the country, really spreads the roots and the movement of the sport. So, I am proud to be part of this campaign.”

Talking about these campaigns, it is still at a young stage. Shiva Keshavan, when quizzed as to how these movements or campaigns can be expanded further, the Olympian replied, “The basis of sports is for young kids to be allowed to have fun, should be allowed to express themselves in the field, should be allowed to make friends and learn to socialize.

“Sport is a field that brings people from all walks of life, all over the world, even at the highest level of the Olympics, we compete fiercely against other countries, but ultimately you do so in respect, and that is a basic Olympic value. In a nutshell, that is what the Olympic Values Education Programme is all about.”

Luge as a sport in India

Shiva Keshavan as already mentioned is the pioneer of luge in India. But the sport is still unknown to the masses. When asked as to how the sport can be brought to the limelight in India, he highlighted, “We have a huge country. It’s a subcontinent. There is no one rule fixed for all.

“Pockets of our country, there are people with diverse passions. There are so many sports that are coming up, some are relatively unknown, but in pockets you will find the passion for various sports is already there.

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“Winter sports is following all over North India, we have the Himalaya mountains, one of the best natural conditions for this in the world. So, it’s bound to improve.”

He also added as to how the sport can be improved from the grassroots. “We need to build a base across all sports to promote physical literacy, because in a long term development of an athlete, certain traits, certain physical and mental characteristics, they need to inculcate at a young age.

“How do you move, how do you think tactically about a sport, how do you interact with adversaries and teammates on the field of play. All these things benefit all the sports.

:Luge, of course being one of them. This access to the sport field at an earlier age is what ignites the passion. Once the passion for sports is on, then you can work on the people, then you can interest and inspire them.”

Grooming children for the Olympics

There is quite a famous dialogue from the movie Dangal, that medalists are not born out of a tree, they need to be molded with love and hardwork.

Grooming a child from an early age can help him/her grow as an athlete. When asked how these campaigns will help children from all walks of life to grow as an athlete for future Olympics, Shiva Keshavan answered, “The Olympics is the highest stage for sports. Each country is able to showcase itself there.

“So, realizing we are ambassadors in front of the world, it’s not just what you do, but how you do it. If we want to win the respect of the world as a nation, we need to be out there and exemplify noble values.

“The respect for each other, not cheating, carrying yourself with pride. These are also lessons that are brought up at the world stage. No doubt our team will do well. Sports movement in India has been growing considerably over the past few years.

“Government has been doing so much for sports from grassroots to elite. So many organizations, foundations work at all levels, and so much support has been given from the IOC to Indian athletes going into the Olympics.

“You have sports science, sports medicine, welfare officers. It’s kind of a new era for sports in India that we are witnessing. We are right in the middle of it.”

Message to the athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics

Shiva Keshavan also expressed support for the athletes competing in the Paris Olympics 2024. “My message to the athletes is that we are already proud of you. You have already reached the highest stage in the world. Just do your best, trust in your training and that will shine through, and it is a continuous journey.

“Even if you win, you can always do better. It’s a battle against yourself. Think of it in those terms. Of course, we would like to see you bring back all the laurels to India, but do so with pride and honor, that’s the most important thing.”

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