Former Olympic winners on whether incessant number of felicitation functions are distractions, the challenges of getting back on track once the attention fades away, and what India needs to do to ensure more podium finishes at the Games
“I was invited for felicitations at a few events, but it was not so loud or glaring as it is now. There was not too much of cash or prize money. We did not even get advertisements… there were no agencies handling our work and no brands chasing us either,” says weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, at the 2000 Games in Sydney; Image: KK / PB/ Reuters