Akshay Patil of Kolhapur has spent nearly two decades pulling his way through adversity and his journey in tug-of-war stands as a compelling example of how sport can transform lives.
Born into a small farming family, Akshay’s journey in the sport began during his school days, when he appeared in district trials in a bid to help his family waive the annual school tuition fee of Rs 1,200. That modest step marked a turning point, and there was no looking back for the well-built 29-year-old thereafter.
“I have been associated with the sport since my fifth standard, at that time my father had to bear Rs 1200 as annual school fee, which sometimes was difficult to manage. I appeared for the district trials in tug-of-war and got selected, which also waived off the school fee. It came as a relief to my family,” said Akshay, who recently turned out as the assistant coach of the Maharashtra team in the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) 2026.
Years of perseverance paid off in 2021, when his commitment to the sport earned him direct recruitment under the sports quota as a sorting assistant in the Postal Department. Though initially posted away from home, a subsequent transfer back to his hometown brought stability not just to his career, but to his family’s future.
The impact was immediate and profound. Akshay was able to arrange his only younger sister’s marriage the following year and invest in cattle to help his ageing parents set up a small dairy business, freeing them from the physical strain of working in the fields.
“My parents have worked tirelessly in the fields all their lives, and now I want them to rest. The job also helped me arrange my sister’s marriage smoothly, and today I can say I am settled in life, free from financial insecurity,” said Akshay, who won a silver in the Junior World Cup held in Chennai in 2012.
However, despite securing a government job, he never stepped away from the sport that changed his life. A product of a government school system, Akshay continued his education while competing in several state and national level tournaments.
“Even after joining service, I never stopped practising. Before that, I had already played at district and state-level competitions and participated in various national level competitions,” said Akshay, who served as an inspiration for fellow tug-of-war athlete Shreyas Chougule from the same neighbourhood to land a job in the Postal department.
Akshay, who boasts of two golds, four silvers and three bronze medals in the senior nationals held between 2011 and 2022, credited the constant support from former weightlifter-turned-tug-of-war athlete and now administrator Madhavi Patil, who was a part of the national weightlifting camp, preparing for 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In 2000, Madhavi quit weightlifting for a career in tug-of-war, and instantly rose to becoming the All India Inter-University champion for four consecutive years before representing India in the Asian Championship held in 2004.
Now serving as a physical education teacher and a coach, Madhavi is preparing the next generation of athletes as the sport, initially a part of the Olympic movement till 1908, eyes a re-entry into the global sporting extravaganza.
Praising the Khelo India initiative, Madhavi said that the sport’s inclusion in the Khelo India Beach Games as a demo sport for two consecutive editions, has attracted youngsters from across the country to take up the traditional sport professionally even as she hopes that tug-of-war will return to the KIBG as a medal event in the next edition.
“We are grateful to the government for including the sport in the Khelo India ecosystem as a demo sport, and hope to have this as a medal event in the next edition. Such initiatives like the Khelo India Beach Games, have provided a great platform for athletes like us to showcase our talent,” she said.
“With proper government support, Indian athletes can perform very well at international events and even win medals at world championships,” she added.