India’s sport climbers have to scale mountain of financial uncertainty before reaching Olympic stage

As the Olympic movement embraces sport climbing, a spin off from traditional rock-climbing, the story of the growing movement continues to be a tough mountain to scale from the ground up in India.

“I got the opportunity to take part in an international tournament. But I didn’t because I would have had to pay for flights, stay and food all from my own pocket,” says Khing, who has been a professional climber for 11 years and also coaches kids in and around New Delhi.

The climbing wall, built in 2006, serves as a beginners course for the school. Nandkishor takes his students to the IMF campus for further practice as well. (Express Photo | Amit Mehra)

The sport climbing movement in India has seen incremental growth, but it is receiving nowhere near the level of support needed for Olympic-level athletes to emerge.

In Delhi’s Salwan Boys’ Senior Secondary School, a climbing wall made in 2006 serves as a bridge for the underprivileged communities living around Rajinder Nagar and their children to receive an avenue for competition and discipline. The school, a government-aided one, relies on its trust to provide sports infrastructure to students.

“Parents are happy that their children get selected to our climbing team. They learn discipline, and we don’t take any fees from them to teach them the sport,” says coach Nandkishore. But the issue for him comes from the everyday costs that come with running his 15-children-strong team.

Nandkishore says that the cost of buying climbing boots goes from anywhere between Rs. 6,000 and Rs 12,000, and that’s a recurring cost every few months.

There is also the intercity travel that he has to scrounge money up for, to train the children on better walls at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation’s Dhaula Kuan campus. And when a competition takes place domestically, travel costs fall on him and the dwindling concerned ear once again.

“These children come from poor families. We can’t ask their parents to pay for the equipment so we try to crowdfund from the climbing community or request for old equipment from professional climbers,” says Nandkishore. He points out one of his promising younger pupils, Kunal Singh, and says that the 12-year-old lost his father and uncle over the last two years, but continues to stay on in school and in the climbing team because of money not being asked from his single mother.

“Kunal’s father died of a heart attack last year in January. He used to drive a tempo transporting Bisleri water around the city. His uncle had also passed away earlier. Other than a very little pension, there isn’t any money coming in,” says Kunal’s mother.

While happy that her son gets training and equipment from Nandkishore, eventually her hopes are that he can find a government job or join the Army through sport climbing.

Coach Nandkishor with his students at Salwan Boys’ Senior Secondary School. (Express Photo | Amit Mehra)

Job scarcity

A former student of Nandkishore, who wants to be a professional climber full-time but is working five hours a day at a local climbing gym, says that the community is waiting for a government-recognised federation to provide support when it comes to jobs.

Sachin Saroj, when not climbing boulders, is often at Boulder Box in Delhi, working as an instructor. He says that his work allows him to continue training, while also providing a living. The management also helps with raising funds for tournaments that he feels would aid his growth. But the money is not enough to train professionally as a top athlete, one that would require ‘a budget of at least Rs 20-24 lakhs a year’, according to Sachin.

“If you’re looking for government jobs, or being a part of the Army, then only the Madras Regiment recognises a climbing sport quota,” says Sachin. He remains optimistic, especially after the Air Force also included sports climbing in the sport quota.

But the avenues for earning money are either joining the Army, the Air Force, or being a part of climbing gyms around the country. “Most of us come from humble backgrounds. The idea of working at a place and getting to train there itself seems good. But at some point, we get stuck. The reality is this lifestyle is very hard to maintain,” says Khing.