Tania Sachdev, an Indian chess veteran, advised state governments to come out and support athletes from all sports in order to maintain and develop a pipeline of future players. Sachdev, who was part of India’s historic double gold campaign in the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024, discussed this candidly at the NDTV World Summit. Sachdev, along with Vantika Agrawal, a member of the women’s team that won gold, reminisced about the victory and the planned festivities.
Sachdev, who is from Delhi, stated that she was India’s only chess representative from the city for nearly 16 years before Vantika emerged. She emphasized the need for state governments to ensure a pipeline for kids.
“There’s a reason why we have so many Grandmasters from Tamil Nadu. Why do all the girls want to play badminton? Because she’s seen a PV Sindhu,” Sachdev explained at the NDTV World Summit. “Unless the state governments recognize the effort of its players, how are you going to inspire the youth of a profession seriously?” demanded Sachdev.
At the 45th Chess Olympiad, India’s men’s and women’s teams won gold. Sachdev, who has been a member of India’s chess team at the Olympiad since 2008, had to wait 16 years to win gold. Her teammate, D Harika, had to wait twenty years. Sachdev described the route to gold as a lifelong adventure.
“It is something we worked on for 16 years, and even longer for her (Harika). After finishing the job, we were all more emotional than we had ever been. It was more than just winning gold; it was a life-changing experience for many of us,” Sachdev added. Vantika Agrawal also disclosed that the chess team planned special celebrations after learning that they had both won gold.