'All I Get Is Disappointment': After 8 Years Of Rio Olympics, This Judoka Still Awaits His Due Recognition

Avtar Singh is a 30-year-old Judoka who hails from Gurdaspur, Punjab, and represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He has consistently raised the bar in sport by claiming international and national medals and has recently competed from the Punjab team at the National Games of India 2022 and brought home a gold.

However, for the past eight years, the Judo practitioner has been still waiting for his due recognition from the Punjab government. Currently, he has been undergoing practice at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), National Centres of Excellence (NCOE) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

First & Only Indian Judoka At Olympics After 12 Years

Avtar Singh became the first Indian Judoka at the 2016 Rio Games to qualify for the Olympics after a 12-years gap and was the only athlete representing India in the sport. Further, he self-financed his whole trip to the Olympics.

The Judoka presently works for the Punjab Police, a position he earned on his own merit as, despite his achievements in sports, no employment was provided to him by the state government.

Although the Judo practitioner meets all of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to qualify for the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, he is yet to receive one. The Government of Punjab confers the award for excellence and achievement in the service of the state in the field of sports.

Multiple Appeals Made To State Government

In a conversation with The Logical Indian, Avtar Singh said that he wrote multiple letters to every government that came into rule in Punjab but never received the desired response from the officials. He added, "Every time the government changes, I expect help, but all I get is disappointment."

While Olympian Singh expressed his gratitude to the Punjab Police department for its support and for giving him the space to pursue his sport, he stated, "I have given everything to the sport and the state, but I have gotten very little in return. Still, I'll continue to follow my passion and make my country proud."

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