Rowers at a practice session in Bhubaneswar. The Telegraph

Cuttack, Dec. 25: Infrastructure continues to be a handicap for the promotion of rowing and sculling in Odisha, but the unwavering commitment of the athletes more than makes up for it.

“We have been performing well at the national and international platforms, but better infrastructure would have definitely helped,” said ace rower of the state Pratima Puhana. The 20-year-old, who has been rowing for the past eight years, shot to fame last year after she and her teammate, Pramila Prava Minz, became the country’s first women’s rowing pair to bag a medal at the Asian Games in China.

The medal tally of Odisha rowers, over the past 10 years, adds up to 211, 17 of which have been earned at international events. However, the medals do not reflect the true potential of the rowing and sculling champions, who are battling odds such as poor infrastructure and modern equipment.

The athletes said this deficiency had started to take a toll on their health and threatened to affect their performance. “The boats that we use for practice have not been replaced for almost two decades and become obsolete. They are heavy, unlike the modern lightweight ones being used in other states. It causes severe back pain,” said Pratima.

Moreover, there is a dearth of the “most essential” paddles and ergometers (an instrument for indicating energy expended or work done). At present, there are two ergometers used to evaluate the rowers’ performance and the amount of energy generated by them.

The 100-bed hostel, set up by the Special Area Games Water Sports Center, of the Sports Authority of India at Jagatpur, has not yet been inaugurated.

“As many as 48 of us are staying in an old, dilapidated building which was converted into a hostel in 1995. There are not enough toilets and during rains, we face problems owing to leaking roofs,” said another player, not willing to be quoted.

The officials of the Odisha Association for Rowing and Sculling, which was established in 1976, admitted that the lack of adequate tools and financial aid had been a demotivating factor. President of the association K.P. Singhdeo said their journey had been full of struggles. “However, the players have managed to carve a niche for themselves at the international scenario,” he said.

Though the state government had not provided any financial assistance to the association yet, it was morally encouraging the players by honouring them with cash awards and other incentives, said honorary secretary of the association Binod Dash.

Despite difficulties, the athletes continue to break new grounds at the national and international platforms. Last month, the state rowing team had won six medals — three gold and three silver — and emerged champions in the 32nd National Junior Rowing Championship held in Kerala.

Earlier, in another significant event — the 34th National Games at Ranchi in February — Pratima and Pramila had secured a gold medal in the rowing women’s coxless pair category while rowers Amusana Devi and Manjula Xess bagged a silver in the doubles scull event. Mamata Jena, Oleviya Devi, Alma Lakra and Puhan also finished in the second place in coxless four category.

Coach Jose Jacob, who has been training the players since 2000 and is responsible for grooming at least 11 star players, also expressed his unhappiness with the current state of infrastructure. “Considering the remarkable performance of the athletes, they definitely need better infrastructure which would boost their morale,” said Jacob.

Deputy director of the Sports Authority of India Martin Kujur said the lack of modern boats had been quite an impediment for training. “But, we were recently informed that Rs 67 lakh had been sanctioned towards purchase of equipment. We hope that things would improve for the players and the overall development of the sport,” said Kujur.