Olympic champs are in every school, we need to discover them, says Maxwell Trevor

There was a time when Hyderabad and Secunderabad used to produce top class sportspersons, including Olympic champs, in various games. There were excellent football players who made the country proud, many superb volleyball players, badminton champions, hockey players, cyclists, boxers and cricket players.

But that story of success has almost come to an end. There are very few now who can bring glory to Hyderabad from the sports fields. Only a handful of badminton players can boast of playing at the top international level.

However, amidst all the despondency, there are a handful of individuals who are still fighting against heavy odds to keep sports alive in Hyderabad. One such person is Maxwell Trevor, a former National champion cyclist who had ruled the sport for 11 years when he was India’s best cyclist.

After retiring as an active cyclist, Maxwell began to look for ways in which he could contribute something back to the game. He got down to serious study and obtained a doctorate in sports with specialization in cycling. Thereafter he started the Dr Maxwell Trevor Cycling Welfare Association (MTCWA) and began training children and inspiring them to take part in sports and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Creating a sports culture in society

Maxwell was lucky to find a few dedicated people and together they began to build up the edifice of a sports culture brick by brick

Maxwell was lucky to find a few other dedicated people and together they all began to build up the edifice of a sports culture brick by brick. Children and their parents began to trickle in as the concept grew. The MTCWA had a few foreign made cycles and about 30 of Indian make which the children were allowed to use.

In a conversation with this correspondent, Maxwell raised some important points. “Why is it that India always performs badly at the Olympic Games? At every Olympics, our shortcomings in Olympic sports are laid bare before the entire world. Ahead of every Games, we are led to believe by the media that India will win a good number of medals. Every time we are disappointed at the end,” said Maxwell.

According to Max, India’s problems can be solved if the right methods are adopted. He says that the foundation of India’s sports structure is not strong and that is why we fail repeatedly. India must start from scratch and train children to become champions of the future.

“Our schools are a gold mine of sports talent, but we are not tapping and developing this resource. I believe that every school in India can produce an Olympic medallist if we approach this task in a systematic manner,” said Maxwell.

“We must start at the bottom. It is very important to train children in different sports from the ages of 6 or 7 as is done in China, Japan and many European countries. They take sports very seriously and their sports administrators have a specific target in mind. They want to produce Olympic medal winners in the future,” said Maxwell.

Sports given low priority in India

On paper schools are supposed to have playgrounds and games facilities but in reality, they have nothing, says Maxwell

“Whereas in India the approach to sports is much more relaxed. Sports is a very low priority activity in India. Many schools do not have playgrounds. On paper schools are supposed to have playgrounds and games facilities but in reality, they have nothing. Sports are so unimportant that nobody bothers about this violation of the laws,” explained Maxwell.

“Our schools are focussed solely on academics. Getting a 100 percent pass result is their only aim. Because then the name of the school will gain respect. But I would like to ask: if the school produces an Olympic medal winner, will the school not become just as famous and highly esteemed – perhaps even more so?”

“The schools that have playgrounds, carry out a certain amount of sports activity but not at a highly professional level. By professional, I mean instructing children in all aspects of a sport including diet. Diet plays a very important role in taking a player to the highest level. But children are never told about the diet that they should follow.”

Right diet essential in producing champions

“To top it all, even the parents who want their children to do well in games, have no idea of the right diet that their child should be provided with. Indian food habits are not attuned towards producing top quality sportspersons. Generally Indian meals contain too much carb and little protein. At every meal the plates are piled high with rice and a little vegetable or some chicken pieces which are there only to help us to consume the mountain of rice,” explained Maxwell.

“If we are to produce sports champions, we must change our food habits to include more protein and reduce carbs. And it is important that this change must be implemented from childhood. We must teach our children to eat right. And the modern trend of eating fast food is adding to the problem” he said.

Unfortunately, on Indian roads we do not have space for cyclists

Laws indifferent to cycling

“Now let me come to my own sport which is cycling. I often feel that parents must encourage their children to do more cycling. Cycling is not just a sport, it is also a way of staying fit and healthy on a daily basis,” said Max.

“Unfortunately, on Indian roads we do not have space for cyclists. Even the wide main roads, all vacant space is taken up by hawkers. The Indian Motor Vehicles Act has no provision for cyclists. People using cycles on the roads do not even come into consideration of any laws. It shows that we are completely indifferent about it,” he stated.

We have immense potential in India. Now let us all work together to achieve success, says Maxwell

Maxwell ready to hold inter-schools meet in cycling

“Now I have a proposal that can start a change for the better. I am willing to conduct inter schools’ sports meets in cycling for any schools that are interested. Moreover, neither the schools nor parents will have to spend their money. I will provide all the cycles for the children to ride on, and my team of officials will conduct the event. All that the children and parents have to do is turn up and take part,” said Max.

“I want children to come forward in large numbers. We have immense potential in India. Now let us all work together to achieve success,” concluded Max on a positive note.