Established in 1922, the University of Delhi, informally known as DU, is known worldwide to have produced a galaxy of brilliant minds and luminaries in the fields of science, arts, literature, sports and what not. One of the leading educational hubs of higher learning in India, DU has many achievements to its credit. Apart from having earned the reputation of being an excellent academic hub, DU has another feather to its cap in the field of sports.
The institute has been instrumental in fostering the culture in the country. Ever since its establishment, it has been a perfect platform and conducive environment to many aspiring sports enthusiasts. The environment and support provided by the DU went a long way in developing these sportspersons into high-famed sporting figures of international repute and reckoning.
Athletic firmament in the world is studded with the stars produced by the University of Delhi. Their talent was identified and promoted by the University in real sense of the term. The record makes us proud of what the DU has given so far. It is most proud of being the home to 23 Olympians till date.
Swimmers, athletes, table tennis and hockey players, shooters, wrestlers, etc. all figure in the list of Olympians from DU. A glance at the list fills us with proud when names like late Ranjit Bhatia, Piyush Kumar, Lalit Mathur, MN Kaushik and Sandeep Sejwal meet the eyes. They represented India in Olympics at one of time or the other in one country or the other. Alumni of DU, they are known by their stupendous performance as well.
The Olympians
The very first athlete of Delhi University to partake in the prestigious Olympic Games was LateM.N Masud of St. Stephen’s College. He was the Vice-Captain of the winning Indian Hockey Team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Since then, several notable athletes from St. Stephen’s have been representing India in the Olympics. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, Late Ranjit Singh represented India in athletics. Late Karni Singh was a part of the shooting team in five Olympic Games – 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1980. Another student, Raja Randhir Singh represented India in six Olympic Games in Tokyo (1964), Mexico City (1968), Munich (1972), Montreal (1976), Moscow (1980) and Los Angeles (1984). Mansher Singh represented Indian shooting team in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Another stalwart of St Stephen’s Arun Sandhi was part of the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. Then in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Piyush Kumar represented India in Athletics. Neha Aggarwal became the first female student of St. Stephen’s to participate in Olympics when she got selected in the Indian table tennis team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
What is worth mentioning here is that it is quite challenging for the sportspersons to strike a balance between their academics and sporting career. The question how these sports personalities manage to maintain the balance is asked on many occasions as the training sessions and competitions occupy most of their time and leave them with little time to study. However, colleges try their level best to aid the students who excel in sports in whichever way possible.
Most colleges are liberal when it comes to giving attendance and are flexible with the test and assignment dates for the sports students. A majority of the sports students are mediocre but a handful of them have ably kept both academics and sports at par.
With the establishment of institutions like the National Institute of Sports, the Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) etc. today sportspersons have a viable choice of career as these institutions allow them to gain expertise in subjects related to sports and also give them enough flexibility to continue their individual sports career simultaneously. As such, the sportspersons.
What has come to encourage these persons seeking to be in the field of sports is the Delhi government’s endeavor to establish a sports university where not only students will be trained and educated about particular games but they will be able to get employment in such institutions.