Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: India gets her first Olympian sports minister

This decision makes him the first ever Olympian or sportsperson to be selected as the sports minister of the country.

In addition to him being the Minister of State of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Rathore would now handle the Ministry of sports and youth affairs as well.

This decision by the Government of India is indeed a very welcome one because they have handed the responsibilities of managing the sports department to a man, who not only knows about sports and the challenges of being a sportsperson, but also knows a thing or two about performing at the highest level, which makes him so very well-suited for the job. His invaluable international experience would be of immense help to the athletes in the country, who have often failed to fire as a unit in the big platforms.

Rathore was India’s sole hero at the 2004 Athens Olympics where he had made the entire country proud by clinching the silver medal in the men’s double trap event. The champion shooter that he is, Rathore went on to claim several medals in the Commonwealth and Asian Games and was awarded with the Padma Shri and the Arjuna Award, for a fantastic career that had spanned for over a decade.
He was also India’s flag-bearer at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.
Honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award-the country’s highest sporting honour in 2004 and adding to his suave and gentlemanly personality, there couldn’t have been a better man for the job and his appointment clearly reflects the Indian government’s focus towards the development of sports in the country.

The 47-year old, after taking charge said, “My gratitude to PM for reposing faith in me and giving me a very important ministry. I appeal to all sports federations, let’s keep sportsmen as most important person,everything else will fall into place later.”

He further assured that he would be actively involved in the removal of all barriers for the sporting personnel in the country.

Said Rathore, “We will try and remove all hurdles and try to get them(sportsperson) the best of opportunities.”

The man who was the recepient of the, ‘Sword of honour’ in 2005 and the ‘Sainya Seva Medal’ would replace Vijay Goel, who had infamously made the news last year for the ‘rude and aggressive’ behaviour shown by the unaccredited people accompanying him at the Rio Olympics where he had travelled with the Indian contingent in his capacity as the Sports Minister. Also, he was seen clicking selfies with the athletes, when the whole of the country just managed to secure just two individual medals.

A person of the system itself is the best one to lead it forward and Rathore, in every aspect fits into this statement. A world-class shooter, a champion sportsperson and a dignified human being- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is without a doubt, the best man to lead Indian sports ahead, going into the future.

(Writing by Souryaprokas Bhaduri and editing by Sanjib Guha/Sportscrunch.in)