Interviews

'We Decided Cricket Wasn't The Best Thing To Get Involved In'

Amit Bhatia, owner of the London-based Swordfish Capital Management and son-in-law of steel baron L.N. Mittal, is the driving force behind the Mittal Champions Trust (MCT). He spoke to Outlook about the road ahead.

How did you decide on setting up the Mittal Champions Trust?

My father-in-law and I always had great interest in Indian sport. At the Athens Olympics, watching the wrestling event, we started discussing the state of Indian sport—inadequate representation, lack of satisfactory results etc. We thought we should do something about it.

How would you evaluate MCT's progress since its inception in 2005?

MCT has been extremely successful. At the Beijing Games, of the 14 MCT athletes, Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual gold and two boxers reached the quarterfinals. Saina Nehwal in badminton was just a few points from the medals round. We're proud of what we've achieved.

How do you look at the future?

When we set up MCT, the focus was on the 2012 London Olympics. That will be the real test. I'm confident that our boxers will win medals, as also some other athletes. We want a shift in thinking, we want our athletes to believe they can win at the highest level.

Any plans to identify raw talent at the grassroots level?

We're working with past athletes who're acting as talent scouts for us. We'll also explore setting up sports facilities, and devote time and whatever resources are required for it. These facilities could be used by not only our own athletes, but also by budding athletes at the grassroots level.

Are you looking at any returns, any intangibles?

Well, it's a personal enterprise, one man's vision. It's nothing to do with ArcelorMittal. We want no financial awards, the only intangibles we're looking for are results and pride in Indian sport.

Ever tempted to get into cricket?

If you want to make a difference, that's not the route to take. To make India a greater sporting nation, we decided cricket was not the best thing to get involved with.

<< Back to Interviews