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POLITICAL DIARY
One Gold, Two Bronzes
DOESN’T TOTAL SPORTING NATION
By Poonam I Kaushish
New Delhi, August 26, 2008
Sharp shooter Abhinav Bindra, boxer Virendra Kumar, and
wrestler Sushil Kumar were nameless non-entities. Just a part
of the Indian contingent to the Beijing Olympics 2008. Till a
gold and two bronze medals changed their life for ever, paved
their future in gold. And brought glory to India.
A billion-strong nation came out like termites out of the
woodwork to laud and sing paens over India’s new sports wonder
boys. But in the delirious cacophony of congratulations
perhaps not many noticed that these three young lads reflect
‘Yuva Bharat, who have struggled and clawed to reach where
they are. By sheer grit and determination. Believing in
themselves, living their dreams and turning them into reality.
Today, as the Central and various State Governments open their
coffers and dole out awards running into crores has anyone
pondered to pause and think. What are they celebrating? That
it took India 61 years to win one gold in the individual
category? That these victories are no thanks to the Government
and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)? Or that despite all
adversities these sportsmen did India proud?
Where was the Government when these lads needed them most? It
is all very well for our netas and babus to justify their lack
of support, monetary and logistics, to Bindra by stating that
shooting is a very expensive sport and given the meagre funds
and resources for dispersal to all fields it is not possible
to earmark large amounts for shooting alone. Really? How do
other countries do it? Or there too shooters have rich
fathers? Clearly, this argument cuts no ice when daily stories
of a corrupt polity and babudom abound.
Let’s take the case of Sushil and Virendera. How does the
Sports Ministry and the IOA justify lack of funds and support
for khushti, a favourite in villages and mukke baazee the
‘hot’ sport for urban youth brought up on Mohammad Ali and Joe
Fraser’s video games? Or are they merely trying to whitewash
that these two players reached the top despite their poverty.
Heart rendering is their tale. Of how they walked the jagged
edge of poverty and nurtured their talent. Both are sons of
drivers. Both come from a lineage where there was never enough
money for food. Of days when they had to survive on roti with
water. Yet their families put all they had in their sons. Both
lived in a tiny room with 25 other sportsmen with rodents and
cockroaches as their daily companions, performed sans
physiotherapists to beat all odds and win in the international
arena. Where was the Government?
Scandalous also is how Manipuri weightlifter Laishram Monika
was pulled out at the last minute from going to Beijing
ostensibly on ‘doping’ charges. Or was it because the Indian
Weightlifting Federation wanted to favour another player. The
net result? The dope allegation had no basis but by then it
was too late for her to go. Leading to the Manipur Chief
Minister demanding a CBI enquiry.
Instances are a plenty. Take the case of a shooter, whose
shooting career effectively ended when her pistol was stolen.
The Sports Ministry couldn’t or wouldn’t buy her a new one.
Ditto is the case of hockey. Shockingly, the Indian men’s team
failed to qualify for the Olympics. Considering that hockey
had brought India it’s first ever gold medal in its Olympic
debut in 1928. It won seven more gold medals, the last in the
1980 Moscow Olympics. After which India's dream run in hockey
came to an end.
Why? Mum is the word. Yet hockey is our national sport. Worse,
we call ourselves a nation of sport lovers. Spoil sports is
more like it. Clearly, some pressing questions need to be
answered. Tragically, today sport has less to do with sport.
It has turned into a game of power and money. Sports be
dammed. Sportmen are branded according to their net worth and
launched in the sports arena as ‘companies’ which market
different products each according to their brand appeal and
market acceptability.
Shooter Bindra hit the bull’s eye when he stated that India
today is all about cricket, thanks to the IPL and its big
bucks. But cricket can never be the true symbol of Indian
sports as it is played only in 20 countries around the world.
All youngsters wanted to play nothing but cricket. All wanted
to become Dhoni, Pathan or Sehwag. Till Bindra and his two
colleagues win wherein now corporate coffers are opening up
for them like Aladdin’s lamp.
Less said the better of our various sports bodies. Which are
controlled and headed by faded politicians, who exist on five
star consumerism and vested interest. Ambitious people with
powerful connections who take a battalion of their high-flying
socialites to international sporting does as cheer-leaders.
While sportsmen languish in dormitories with a stipend of a
mere US $25 a day.
See the difference between China and India. For the opening
ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, China juxtaposed
centuries-old civilization with a futuristic modern nation.
Preparations were on for nearly 100 years for the 15-day
razzmatazz were China made its debut in the Super League of
nations. Sportspersons, past, present and the future,
showcased China in all its manifestations.
What of India? Serious preparations for Delhi Commonwealth
Games have yet to start. All are busy in finger-pointing and
quibbling over who will handle the Rs 500 crores cash till.
But if the show we put up at the closing ceremony of the
Commonwealth Games in Sydney is any indication then don’t
expect much.
Outrageously, out of the Rs 44 crore earmarked, over Rs 18
crores was paid to a Mumbai event management company to
produce an 11-minute capsule on India culture, read Bollywood.
Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Ashwariya Rai were
reportedly paid Rs one crore each to wave to the audience. It
is another matter that Bollywood and its filmi jhatkas have
nothing to do with sports akharas and maidans.
Much of the problem with developing Olympic champions here
seems to be rooted in the very same things that make India a
perpetual also-ran to China in economic development: poor
infrastructure, entrenched political corruption and
infighting, and chaos and disorganization. Money earmarked for
Olympic training is often mysteriously sidelined, facilities
for training are in poor shape and equipment goes missing. Any
wonder that India has only won 25 medals in Olympic Games
since 1928.
In this free-for-all vicious circle of avarice lies the
forgotten Greek philosophy of sports: The health of a nation
depends upon the proficiency of its youth in sports and games.
Sadly, our rulers are not interested in sports, but only in
the victory of glistening gold on the world stage. And it is
prepared to reward victors with goodies only when they have
done the nation proud. The word nurturing of talent is
no-existent in the Indian lexicon.
Finally, the million dollar question? How is the Government
going to pull out the country from this sports morass? For
starters keep politicians and bureaucrats out of sports. It is
plain that rescuing sport from the Octopus-like grip of vested
interests, pathetic management, bad planning deceit and money
across the country will be a long and painful process.
Nevertheless, a beginning has to be made soon. We have to be
clear about what we want to achieve and how? The true legacy
of the three medals will lie in whether money can now be made
available to build the training superstructure for other
sports and sportmen. The fear of the fall of our icons should
not make us turn a blind eye to our own crime in queering the
pitch for what India desperately needs: healthy sport. Or,
else reconcile to being spoil sports! – INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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