Srihari Nataraj hits out at Karnataka govt for lack of funding for state's athletes

Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj has hit out at the Karnataka state government for its inadequate funding and compensation for athletes.

Nataraj, a national record-holding swimmer, expressed frustration over the disparity in financial support compared to previous years during his recent interview with Republic World.

“I’ve got really good support in terms of funding and scholarships from SAI and Go Sports, etc. But compared to Tokyo, for the National Games last year, the state government compensation has been worse,” said Nataraj.

Nataraj failed to progress to the semifinals in the men's 100m backstroke event at the Paris Olympics 2024 after he finished joint-second in Heat 2 33rd in the overall standings.

However, he said that compensation should not solely reward medallists, and said, “Even participating in the Olympics is a big achievement on its own.”

“Each swimmer should get compensated for the meet that they perform in because for some people even winning a National Medal is as significant as winning an Olympic Medal or participating in the Olympics," he opined.

He also pointed out that athletes from states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have received their funding, highlighting a contrasting situation in Karnataka.

Nataraj, a prominent swimmer in the Indian national circuit and a key contributor to Karnataka’s medal tally, also called out the lack of recognition for his and other athletes' efforts.

“It’s extremely unfair to athletes like myself and Dhinidhi (Desingu), who were the best athletes out there,” he said.

Dhinidhi, competing in the 200m women’s freestyle heat, touched the pads at 2:06.96. But the Indian finished 23rd out of 30 participants.

When asked about the reason behind the reduced compensation for the Paris Olympics, Nataraj expressed uncertainty, “If I knew why it’s happening or what’s the cause, then we would be able to figure out a solution. I don’t know why we haven’t received any compensation for National Games or Asian Games.”

Meeting Nadal

Despite these challenges, Nataraj regarded his Paris Olympics experience as “amazing” and unique compared to other international sports events.

He spoke highly of the Indian team’s setup at the Olympic Village and his personal highlight of meeting his idol, Rafael Nadal. “Meeting Nadal has been a dream for me forever,” Nataraj said.

"I got to meet him, take a photograph and his autograph, so that was great. I've been his fan since I was a kid, so it was tough for me to even sit down, I thought I was going to pass out, that’s how much it meant to me,” he added.