India has a new sports minister. And, in a refreshing change, it’s an appointment that has been greeted with celebration. The reason for that are the credentials of the man in question: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, India’s first individual Olympic silver medallist was announced as the country’s new Sports Minister on Sunday, replacing Vijay Goel.
From serving in Jammu & Kashmir with the Army to making India proud at the world stage to now taking care of the country’s sport and youth affairs, it’s been some journey for the colonel from Jaisalmer. Here’s a brief timeline of his rise.
Early promise and then the silver
- 2002 – After a distinguished career in the Indian Army, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore came into the limelight at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester that year, winning a gold in double trap and setting a new CWG record.
- 2003 – Rathore continues his sparkling form with two medal finishes – a bronze in double trap at the World Cup in 2003 and another bronze in the same category at the World Championships in 2003.
- 2004 – The breakthrough year. The armyman provided early indications that this was going to be a special year for him, winning gold in the ISSF World Cup in Sydney in March and then went on to become World No 1 in his event in an Olympic year. And it was at Athens in the biggest sporting event of the world where Rathore made India proud. Amidst high pressure in the double trap final, he kept his composure and shot flawlessly to finish an unprecedented second, the first athlete in independent India to win a silver medal.
Standing on the victory podium at the scene of an incredible sporting triumph, how did Rathore revealed how he kept his cool: “When you pull the trigger it should be with courage, not weakness. If you miss a target for reasons other than technical ones, it means the pressure is getting to you, and you are being weak-hearted.”
Keeping up the medal rush
- 2004-2006 – Awards and recognition follow. Rathore is presented with the Arjuna Award in 2003, the Khel Ratna in 2004 and the Padma Shri in 2005.
- 2006-2009 – Rathore defends his gold medals at the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games with special performances in Cairo and Melbourne respectively in 2006. He also wins bronze at the Asian Games in Doha that year. In lieu of his achievements, he was made the flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Unfortunately, Rathore could not continue his magic in China, not being able to qualify for the final of the doubles trap. A disappointed Rathore said he was sapped and would take time to decide on his next course of action but made sure that he would stay associated with sport: “Indian sport is totally a part of me and I can’t ever walk away from it”
Taking the plunge into politics
- 2009-2012 – After spending virtually two years out of competitive shooting due to differences with the National Rifle Association of India, Rathore showed that he still had it in him by equalling the world record and winning gold at the 2011 Asian Shotgun Championships in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, he failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics with Ronjan Sodhi taking his place in the squad for the double trap event.
- 2013- Finally, in 2013, the colonel from Jaisalmer took voluntary retirement from the Army and appeared on the dais with Narendra Modi. He announced that he was entering politics and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, justifying his decision by saying, “For 23 years of my life I have served the nation in war and peace to the best of my ability. I am trained to fight by the finest Army of the world and so I must not back out when the nation is faced with a different kind of threat.”
- 2014 – Rathore competed on the BJP ticket from the Jaipur Rural constituency and went up against a top Congress leader CP Joshi. Yet, in his first election, Rathore completed a memorable win, beating Joshi by a massive 3 lakh votes.
Minister Rathore
- 2014-2017 – Minster Rathore. In November 2014, the shooter-turned politician is made a Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, after serving on a Standing Committee on defence in the earlier two months.
In an eventful tenure, the silver medallist had to deal with some vexing problems, ranging from the appointment of the controversial Gajendra Chauhan as head of the Film & Television Institute of India and dealing with the issue of censorship by the Central Board of Film Certification. He also had to monitor the completion of digitisation of cable television.
But even while handling this important portfolio, Rathore did not forget sports or his constituency. In January 2017, he announced that a multipurpose sports training centre would be set up Jaipur with playgrounds developed in all gram panchayats. At an event in 2016, he also spoke about the importance of mental strength in sports and joked that he was called a “pop psychologist” when he was on television during Olympics.
- 2017 – Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore. The “silent hero” of the Modi government gets his reward for good work and is given independent charge of youth affairs and sports. There is almost universal praise for his appointment. In his first speech after being made the Sports Minister, he promises to provide the “best of opportunities” to sportspersons.
