No hopes of medals from India in Beijing Games: Randhawa

New Delhi, May 20 (UNI) Versatile athlete Gurbachan Singh Randhawa today said despite the improved facilities Government is providing to the athletes, lack of determination and dedication in the current generation sportsperson was the biggest hurdle in achieving success.

''I am not expecting any medal from my athletes. They have not put any sincere efforts. There is no problem from the Government's end. Our traning facilities are up to the international level but there is lack of determination among the athletes,'' Randhawa said here at an event organised by the FICCI and Coca-Cola to felicitate the 'Indian Olympians' Leander Paes, cyclist Rushi Gulati, winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan and Randhawa himself.

However, the hurdle dynamo Randhawa stated that the facilities are not reaching to the grass-root level.

''In our country facilities are only for the elite class. It was not reaching up to the grass root level. We should rectify this,'' he said.

Perhaps the most versatile athlete India has ever produced Randhawa also asserted that Delhi lacks practise facilities, espicially for the athletes.

''We dont have enough place to practice in the capital. In Delhi there are almost no suitable for the athletes to practice.

''Even we dont have any good field for hockey,'' he added.

An all-rounder, Randhawa, who was capable of excelling in a number of different track and field events chose the ocassion to praise the Sports Minister M S Gill for his efforts to raise the level of the sports in the country in a very short span.

''The sports minister is showing the interest. He has very good knowledge of sports. I am sure that he will provide the facilities what we need,'' he added.

The 1961 Arjuna awardee, Randhawa also praised the marketing strategy of the BCCI and asked the officials to learn from the cricket body.

''We should learn from BCCI's marketing strategy. Look how they changed the game in recent years. People are enjoying it because the game has become an entertainment,'' he quipped.

Randhawa was the flag-bearer of India at the 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He finished fifth in the 110 mts hurdles with a personal timing of 14 seconds at the Tokyo Olympics.

UNI RKM RAR ND1815