News of Sachin Tendulkar having signed a deal worth crores of rupees for the management of his affairs had made headlines across the country. And following in his footsteps the other ‘‘stars’’ in the cricket team have also not done badly. One feels sad with the time and attention everybody, including the media, both print and electronic, gives to the national craze called cricket.

A cricketer who has played even a couple of one-day internationals picks up money by the barrels from sponsors, ad film makers, equipment makers and all and sundry. Soft drink makers line up in front of his house in an effort to sign him up. Abhinav comes from a city which has also produced a cricketer called Yuvraj Singh. Good performance in just one tournament in Nairobi made Yuvraj a household name, not only in Chandigarh but throughout the country. He could dictate his terms with the sponsors. But where is Yuvraj today? Probably not even the cricket follower can answer this question. Disciplines like golf and tennis are also able to draw money, not only in India but also abroad. But then most Indian players of golf or tennis who have made it big internationally have come up on their own without any support system in place in India. But now the top golfer or tennis player has no dearth of sponsors even in India.

In comparison, a sportsperson like Abhinav is still looking for a sponsor who can help him translate his Olympic medal hope into reality. So far no business house, no soft drink maker, no multinational, in fact nobody, has come forward to share a part of the huge expenses involved in the making of an Olympic hopeful.

Abhinav is lucky that his family has the resources to help him translate his dream into reality. But then how many sportsmen have the family support system to help them make it good? Last year, according to a very rough calculation, Rs 117 lakh was spent by Abhinav is his quest for excellence. Of this amount, Rs 30 lakh was spent on travelling and for competitions — last year he travelled through the Czech Republic, Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark and Germany while taking part in the European championships — while a sum of Rs 25 lakh was spent on specialised coaching in Germany. Another Rs 8 lakh was spent on a mental management course in the USA, while Rs 12 lakh was spent on his kit. Abhinav’s kit includes two high-quality guns made to his specifications by a German manufacturer. And to keep these guns in perfect order, Abhinav returns to the German manufacturer a number of times every year. And this is not all. This year his family has budgeted a sum of Rs 127 lakh while next year the amount will rise by another Rs 10 lakh. In 2004, the year of the Olympics, Abhinav will require about Rs 150 lakh even before he can take aim at the shooting ranges at Athens.

Last year while participating in the European circuit (in which Abhinav won a total of 12 medals) the coach of the German national team asked Abhinav to come and play for the country. Being an Olympian (he had by then taken part in the Sydney Olympics) he would have been entitled to free board, lodging and travel and a monthly allowance of 5,000 marks (Rs 1.25 lakh). A tempting offer it was and Abhinav, who had been slightly strained due to lack of funds, asked his father, Dr A.S. Bindra, who incidentally is his biggest fan on earth, as to what he should do. And the reply of the elder Bindra is something all Indian sportsmen should adhere to :‘‘Play for the country and be proud of the Tricolour, Everything else can take a backseat.’’

So far, the Government of India has given Abhinav a little over Rs 12 lakh, while Rs 5 lakh has come from the Sports Authority of India. The Indian Olympic Association has given him Rs 6.76 lakh while another Rs 5 lakh has come from a private trust. The NSDFhas given Rs 20 lakh still leaving a shortfall of about Rs 66 lakh this year alone. But Abhinav has been told that the family will leave no stone unturned to help him translate his dream into reality. Countries like the USA, Germany, Holland, Denmark or even China are investing $ 3 million per Olympic span (four years) to prepare shooters for the Olympics.And to prepare a sportsman to be even near-Olympic standards these countries spend anything like Rs 10 crore. But what does a poor country like India do? A difficult question to answer. Not everybody has parents like Abhinav who will move heaven and earth, if needed, to provide everything possible for their child prodigy who has already put India on the world shooting map.

But then somebody has to answer this question if the nation aspires to see the Tricolour fluttering during a medal ceremony at any Olympic Games. The powers that be that run sports in the country must first spot the talent (of which there is actually no shortage as any pundit will tell you), and then make every paise count as these sportspersons prepare for the ‘‘greatest show on earth’’. But then does India, and Indians, have the will to excel and excel at that level ?

Speaking of funds, Bindra has an interesting anecdote to narrate. In June last year the then Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, had honoured the young shooter for equalling the world record at the World Cup held at Munich. During the function, the shooter was told that the government was handing over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to him. But when the envelope containing the cheque was later opened the amount written on the cheque was only Rs 5 lakh. The elder Bindra said that he has written innumerable letters to the government to correct the wrong but the government has so far maintained a stony silence. A fine example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing!

Shooting is a lonely sport. There is no support system around to pep you up during a competition. And, more important, there is no spectator to egg you on like it is in other sports disciplines. Day after day, one is competing not only against others but also against oneself. Since there is little competition available in the country, Abhinav spends most of his time taking part in competitions abroad. He also trains abroad as Indian coaches have very little to offer to him . He is familiar with most of the shooting ranges in Europe where he not only competes but also trains very hard with an eye on the Olympic medal. He knows the road to an Olympic medal is tough, extremely tough with any number of pitfalls, but in his short career he has beaten even current Olympic champions and there is no reason why he cannot get the better of all competition at Athens just two years later.

So how does the young Abhinav (who will complete 20 in September this year) pass his time when he is not on the ranges? In the hotels, he finds time to listen to Indian music (he carries his own stock of CDs) or catches up with his studies which by his own frank admission he is neglecting in his quest for an Olympic medal. ("There will be time later to catch up with my studies", he says with a smile) Abhinav knows that qualifying for the Athens games itself is a big hurdle. He has to win a World Cup either this year or the next year or do exceedingly well in the World Championships, where the top six qualify for the Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in July next. In case he fails to book a berth through these tournaments, he has to win the Asian Championships to be held at Malaysia next year.

Abhinav is sparing no effort in his quest for the Olympic medal. He now trains under Gaby Buelhmann, a former Olympic champion and world record holder, who at 38 is still a very active shooter and takes part in any number of European tournaments. Based at Dortmund, Ms Buelhmann has helped Abhinav to aspire to do even better in the future and has drawn up his training schedule which he follows meticulously even when he is holidaying in Chandigarh. He also has a personal physical trainer (also based in Germany) who has drawn up a daily schedule of one and a half hours.

Abhinav needs all the encouragement and, more important, money, to make his (and India's) dream come true. More than anything else, he now needs sponsorship so that he can give his undivided attention to that small target, no bigger than a pinhead, 10 metres away.