PUNE, India: An Indian rower has achieved an improbable feat by qualifying for the Rio Olympics — despite coming from a drought-plagued village where there is not even enough water to drink.
Dattu Bhokanal, whose father dug wells for a living, said that when he took up rowing after joining the army he was scared, because he had never seen so much water.
But just a few years on, and with his arid ancestral home hit by severe water shortages that have affected more than 330 million, Bhokanal is dreaming of single sculls glory as India’s only Olympic rower in Rio.
“There is a huge water shortage in our village,” said Bhokanal, referring to tiny Talegaon in Nashik district, around 165 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Mumbai.
“We used to travel long distances to get water and also stand in long queues to get our buckets filled from water tanks,” added the 24-year-old of his childhood.
Earlier this month, the government said a quarter of the India’s population, spread across 10 states, had been hit by drought after two consecutive years of weak monsoons.
Bhokanal’s tale is all the more remarkable as he couldn’t even swim when he first started rowing, and also has the pressure of his mother being seriously ill in hospital.
He joined the army in 2012, needing a way to support his family after his father died from bone cancer the previous year.
Stationed in the much lusher district of Pune, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw a vast expanse of water where recruits practiced rowing.
At first Bhokanal was intimidated, and wondered why water was being used for sport when so many people in the farming belt were thirsty. But over time he defeated his fears.
“Eventually I got comfortable with the water and there was no looking back,” he told AFP.
Bhokanal quickly showed skill to match his impressive, lean six-foot frame and in 2014 he competed at the Asian Games in South Korea where he finished fifth.
During regional Olympic qualifying races in April in Chungju, also in South Korea, Bhokanal made the grade for the men’s single sculls in Rio de Janeiro in August.
“It feels nice that I am bearing the fruits of my hard work,” he told AFP. “But this instant stardom does not make me any different and I will not lose the focus of my goal.”
“I am still the same person looking to get an Olympic medal,” Bhokanal said, adding that his mother’s plight has only “strengthened (his) resolve.”
He also said the hardships of Indian village life can be a good breeding ground for aspiring athletes, despite the lack of water and other resources.
“I believe that people from villages tend to work harder,” Bhokanal said.
“Farming and housework activities require a lot of physical labor and that makes us tougher. City life is much more relaxed and people tend to just enjoy themselves more,” he added.
India’s chief rowing coach Ismail Baig hailed Bhokanal’s “brilliant” dedication and down-to-earth nature.
“He was new and inexperienced but he was hungry to succeed and he worked extra hard to prove himself,” he told AFP.
“Even though he’s now in the limelight he remains a simple guy who has no airs and graces,” Baig added.
Olympics: From waterless village to rowing in Rio
Olympics: From waterless village to rowing in Rio
Footballco launches new Riyadh studio to boost creator-led content boom
- Football media company’s venture caters for its Arabic video-first brands
- Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums
RIYADH: Football media and culture company Footballco have opened a new production studio in Riyadh.
The move allows it to boost the volume of in-studio content created for its leading Arabic video-first football brands — Yalla Goal, Yalla Fans and Yalla Girl, as well as branded content for commercial partners.
The new studio complements Footballco’s Riyadh office, which opened in December 2024 as its Middle East headquarters. Footballco’s move to the city was driven by a desire to better serve clients in Saudi Arabia and to bring it closer to the country’s burgeoning football industry. The company now has 20 full-time staff in the Kingdom.
Footballco currently operates three video-first Arabic-language football brands in the region, all targeting Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha fans and fronted by experienced content creators. Yalla Goal combines spirited discussions, bold challenges and fun games, while Yalla Girl celebrates the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia and the region, with a focus on talent, personality, laughter and friendship. Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums.
The company’s decision to invest in creator-led, in-studio video formats is backed by its own research which found that, for young fans, brand partnerships with creators are seen as more valuable than official tournament partnerships.
Footballco’s new studio will increase the frequency of video content created for its channels, supported by two full-time hosts for Yalla Goal — Mohammed Bargat and Waleed Al-Shargi (better known as Shargi), who have a combined following of over 900,000 on their personal channels.
Andy Jackson, Footballco’s Middle East senior vice president, said: “With seven national teams from the region set to appear at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eight if Iraq qualify through the play-offs, these new facilities and increasing video output sets our brands up for success at a time where we know there will be an unprecedented demand for fun, creator-led video content.
“We’re also excited to welcome both Bargat and Shargi to the team, with both having more than proved themselves as understanding how to create content that resonates with young fans and they are already familiar to our audiences.”
He added: “In December, our Arabic social channels generated over 1.7 billion video views, so we are building from an incredibly strong base to further cement our position as the clear market leader both in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Our creator-led video formats have proved incredibly popular with brands, and this investment will see us able to offer a broader range of opportunities to our many commercial partners.”
While the World Cup this summer will see Footballco’s new studio in constant use, the company is also readying a slate of programming across Ramadan, with a 30-show spread culminating in an Eid special.
Taha Imani, Footballco’s head of video and social in the Middle East and North Africa region, said: “With YouTube becoming the number one place for fans to enjoy longform and short-form football content, and based on success across Footballco brands such as The Front Three in other markets, we’re expecting to grow at speed as we approach the World Cup giving fans exactly what they want from us on a daily basis.”
