How a former India captain ignored well-meaning cynics and went on to lead an Olympic movement which is bearing fruit
Viren Rasquinha's only dream for the moment is a gold for India at Tokyo 2020. Pic/Bipin Kokate
Viren Rasquinha, 37
Former India hockey captain and CEO of Olympic Gold Quest
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In his own words, former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha's journey has been nothing short of a sporting fairy tale. It began with inter-school hockey for St Stanislaus High School in Bandra, then for the Mumbai and Junior India teams, followed by the all-important India stint, and now a corporate job, with non-profit organisation Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ). "I hope it has a fairy tale ending too, which would be five gold medals for India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I will happily retire then. Else, OGQ will continue to strive hard to see India succeed at the 2024 or 2028 Games and beyond," Rasquinha says during a chat at his Nariman Point office.
Rasquinha, a 2001 FIH Junior World Cup-winner, insists he has always trusted his instinct, and often gone against popular belief. "Thrice, at different stages in my life, people have called me mad. First, when I scored 91% in the SSC exams and decided to pursue hockey. People felt I should study medicine or engineering, and not play. Then, when I retired at 27 to do my MBA at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, people felt I should have played on. And finally, when I rejected a corporate job and opted for OGQ, which didn't even have an office then. I wasn't even sure if they would pay me a salary. It's been nine years with OGQ and I cannot remember a single day when I have not felt like coming to work," he says.
Helmed by Rasquinha, and backed by some of India's legendary sportsmen like badminton ace Prakash Padukone, cue sports giant Geet Sethi and world chess champ Vishwanathan Anand besides a hosts of benefactors, OGQ has come a long way since its inception in 2009. "I remember, I worked alone out of a coffee shop in Bandra. Shooter Gagan Narang was the first athlete we signed up back in 2008-09, and today we support 153 athletes." While badminton stars Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu are well known names on their roster, they have also discovered youngsters like junior World No. 1 badminton star Lakshya Sen and teenage swimming sensation Maana Patel, and heavily invested in them.
Investment is the key word, he says, and OGQ's biggest challenge too. "Look, it doesn't make sense going with a begging bowl to anyone. We approach only those corporates who believe in investing in India's sporting future. CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] is a good concept but the priorities in our country are health, education and sanitation. Sports comes way down the order," he shares. OGQ's current annual expenditure is R30 crore, so it's tough sourcing funds, but given their proven track record, people are a lot more receptive now. Rasquinha explains that they have always managed to procure the required funds. "In fact, we have gone beyond our brief and facilitated surgeries and rehab requirements of our athletes beyond what the Sports Authority of India or the government could have provided," says Rasquinha.
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