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Gostho Behari Pal (1896-1976), the first footballer to be conferred Padma Shri, was fondly called Chinese Wall to recognise his astonishing skills as a defender. Post Tokyo Olympics, Savita Punia, the goalkeeper of the Indian women’s hockey team can be an equal claimant of the sobriquet. Every day when Punia went for practice, she had to keep her kit bag on the roof of the crowded bus. Her team captain, Rani Rampal, is the daughter of a cart-puller, who could not earn the family’s daily bread every day. They are not exceptions. Most of those who brought glory for the country in the Tokyo Olympics belong to underprivileged families who have battled every odd, social and financial, to rise to the top of their sports or give the best in the planet a run for their money.

Whatever these men and women have achieved is only by the dint of grit and sheer talent. They have brought accolades for a medal-hungry nation that is now riding its performance to dream big in sports. Predictably, many of the country’s Olympic participants in different disciplines are being flooded with cash prizes and awards by different organisations. As a one-time measure, the government should exempt from income tax the funds they are getting from different bodies and organisations as rewards.

Most of the sporting personalities have battled poverty and lack of sponsorship throughout their life. Some of them have constantly battled social discrimination too – odds that can easily break the morale of any individual. A small act of income tax exemption will not only help them financially but also would encourage them for better performance in the future too. It would perhaps also help us collectively to partially get rid of a sense of guilt of keeping heroes in deprivation.

The value of sports goes beyond a few medals, which are actually tokens of recognition for their performance. Sports have always been a potent tool for rallying a nation. The role of sporting heroes, thus, extends far beyond the sporting arena. It is time to pay a small respect for our heroes.