Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 24 : Athletes from humble backgrounds in Jammu and Kashmir, trained at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) water sports centre in Dal Lake, have secured one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal at the Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025, helping the Union Territory finish seventh among 28 states and Union Territories.
According to SAI, Mohsin Ali is a carpenter's son, Sajad Hussain is a Shikarawala's son, and Muhammad Hussain is a vegetable vendor's son, and none of them would have brought laurels for Jammu and Kashmir at the national stage in the Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF), 2025, but for SAI.
Mohsin won the gold in K-1 1000 metre men's kayaking, Sajad silver in C-2 500-meter canoe slalom, and Hussain silver in C-2 500-meter men's canoeing and bronze in C-1 1000-meter men's canoeing. The three medals enabled hosts Jammu and Kashmir to finish seventh among 28 states and Union Territories that took part in the Games, SAI said in its statement.
The families of all three water sports athletes struggle to make ends meet, yet they encourage their children to participate in water sports events, and one of the reasons for this is their confidence in SAI. The SAI centre, set up at Nehru Park inside Dal Lake, is playing a major role in turning around the careers of these water sports athletes.
Mohsin, Sajad, and Hussain have all been training at the SAI's Nehru Park Centre and honing their skills under the guidance of SAI's water sports coaches. Sajad said that the centre not only provides training to them but also all possible support.
"When we used to train at the Nehru Park Centre in the mornings, our SAI coach Zulfkar Ali Bhat would drop us at school after training, as the school would start soon after the training at the centre. We used to put on our school uniform in his car after training at the center," he said, according to an SAI Media press release.
Hailing from the Mir Bahri area in the interiors of the Dal Lake, Sajad said that being a Shikarawallah's son, it was difficult to venture into endurance sports like canoeing, as it requires a proper diet, besides hard work and proper training, the statement said.
"We do not have the means to even have the basic diet, and asking for a proper diet meant for water sports athletes is not possible for families like us," Sajad said, adding, "Resultantly, after attending school, I would ride a shikara or do any manual work that helps me sustain myself and not be a burden on the family."
A vegetable vendor's son, Muhammad Hussain, said that he had faced numerous hardships on the way to his success and was thankful to SAI, which had set up the SAI centre at Nehru Park, which was instrumental in his success.
"We are not well off financially, and if we were to train on our own, it would not be possible for us to excel," he said. "It was the training that we got at SAI Jammu centre at Nehru Park that made a difference," he added.
Hussain said that training at the centre and participating in sports also keeps youth away from the menace of drug addiction.
"When we go by the Boulevard, we see youth with such good physiques indulging in drugs. When I see that, I feel bad for them and think how well they could do in sports," he said. "These guys do not know that sports give a better high than any drugs can ever give," he added.
A carpenter's son, Mohsin Ali, also echoed similar sentiments and said that without the SAI's support, he could not have won the gold, as his family too was living from hand to mouth, and he himself would ride a Shikara to assist with the family's income.
Their Canoeing and Kayaking coach at SAI's Nehru Park centre, Zulfkar Ali Bhat, said, "Most of the participants from Jammu and Kashmir come from humble backgrounds. None of them is a son or a daughter of a bureaucrat, a big businessman, or comes from a rich family. They all come from labour class backgrounds."
Further, as per SAI, he said that as India is bidding for the 2036 Olympics, the SAI Jammu centre at Nehru Park is working on long-term plans like having the talent and resource poll ready for the event.
Zulfkar said that there is a need to set up a National Centre of Excellence in Srinagar.
"When athletes from all over the country will visit that centre, the water sports athletes in Kashmir, like those living in and around the Dal Lake who have the talent but not the means and resources to make it big, will benefit and make the country proud," he said.
"If we start working today towards that goal, I am sure we will produce water sports athletes who will make India proud at the Asian Games, World Championships, and Olympics," he concluded.