Goa and India need to take a leaf out of Brazil if they want to scorch the global beach volleyball circuit, one of the most well-known international coaches in the world says.
Brazilian Amilton Barros, 70, who is managing Mozambique's beach volleyball team at the ongoing Lusofonia Games, has also rued that his country did not send a team to the Portuguese version of the Commonwealth Games.
"The perfect model that I believe that Goa could, and should, adopt is that of Brazil. There are several procedures put in place there with regard to structuring levels of tournaments for nurturing talent," Barros told IANS.
Beach volleyball has been positioned as one of the top-billed sporting disciplines at the Games. The popular Miramar beach near Panaji will host the beachvolleyball games where Portugal, Sri Lanka and Angola are considered favourites. Brazil's not sending a team has proved to be a setback for the event.
Barros, who has coached the top flight Brazilian beach volleyball teams in the past, said that with no big purse at stake, it was easy to understand why the South American country did not send its squad, adding that it should have at least sent a young team to enable it gain experience.
"The players are of top level in the world. They won't come here for nothing. Here they have only medals and they have lots (of medals). I don't agree on this policy, they should send their youngsters who are fighting not for money but for experience," Barros said.
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Lauding Brazil's ability and infrastructure, which has made it a beach volleyball powerhouse, Barros said that an open youth system, seductive sponsorship and its sportspersons made the sport an attractive option for talented youngsters.
"There is an open forum for beginners that any player can enter. If they succeed at that level, they can enter what is considered a tertiary level of tournament, which in turn leads to the second tier. I think the key is to build from the ground in this fashion as it helps to constantly bring fresh faces into the game, which in turn has players jostling for professional positions," he said.
"Financial incentives are very important. Brazil has put in place a system that sees players being given a minimum of $1.000 in cash per tournament won. Please note that this is for minor tournaments that are held at least twice a month. If a player is successful on both occasions, that would result in him or her pocketing a minimum of
$2,000," he pointed out, adding that the financial support that the game gets made it a big draw in Brazil, which is otherwise synonymous with football.
"Players and teams earn large sums through these deals, which in turn ensure that their focus remains within the sport, rather than on financial concerns they might have otherwise had, if they had no steady means of income," Barros explained.
The Lusofonia Games are the Portuguese equivalent of the Commonwealth Games. The team from Goa, a former Portuguese colony, also comprises of athletes from the rest of India.
The 12-day sporting event features countries like Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Sri Lanka, besides hosts India, whose athletes will compete in nine sporting disciplines: athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, football, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball and wushu.
The Lusofonia Games are in their third edition after Macau in 2006 and Lisbon in 2009.
(Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan.n@ians.in)