WILL WE EVER BECOME GOLDEN RETRIEVERS?

Ever since Ms. Anju Bobby George walked down the Olympic ramp proudly displaying the Indian flag, all the citizens of this country had something that Charles Dickens would probably term as ‘title plagiariasation’. To put it simply we all had Great Expectations! The media cannot be solely responsible for this- even if they are the only ones legally qualified for the hoo ha and the hype. As human beings, everyone is rightly entitled to an emotion called Hope.

But even as the Nation watched, one by one, each from the Indian contingent started to bow out with shame. Some of our athletes played and lost while some did not play and lose. A few hoped to qualify and few were doped to qualify. And one fine evening, as the Nation relaxed (in a sudden cable blackout), with little or no expectations, suddenly out of the blue came a shooting star. With a humble attitude, he deposited a sole medal in India’s sparse sports kitty. The weightlifter, the flag bearer and the tennis duo- all the protagonists of India’s ‘Great Expectations’ somehow failed to achieve. One pulled off with a mere flick of the wrists, the other, even with her better than the best, could not leap anyway near enough to touch the medals. And the set of two failed to retrieve the bronze. Ultimately it was up to Major Rathore to provide the only silver lining in the Nations cloud of doom.

Following the doping scandal, a shocked Minister took immediate action and the coaches were sacked. The ‘great expectations’ were back for the Nation- now from the newly appointed Union Sports Minister. But immediately, the crestfallen Mr. Sunil Dutt absolved himself and his Ministry for the Nation’s dismal performance. His reason- ‘All Sports Federations are autonomous bodies and the center can only contribute.’ So does it mean that these independent bodies can continue to gallop ahead, without the guilty ever being reined in?

In retrospection (isn’t that what we are famous for?) what is it about our sporting strength that always fails to live up to the Olympic spirit? Why cannot we create a single shining star out of the hundred crores of Indians available? Could it be the lack of infrastructure, the glut of political involvement, the deficiency of a sporting culture or the lackadaisical attitude of the Federations towards Sports in general? Or is it simply our fanatical obsession for a game called Cricket?

Before venturing forth into the International events, there are absolutely no in depth analysis of any winning strategies- it was by sheer grit and determination that the Major won on his own. It is said he spent about 1.5 crores while preparing- luckily his sponsors believed in him and not in the lucrative returns of the game. The expectations of the officials, the media and the citizens, albeit based on emotions and patriotism, are not in consonance with the actual performance- how could we expect Ms. George, with her personal best of 6.74m to jump further than the four of the co-finalists, each with a personal best of seven something? Just as we always look up to the Rain God to play spoilsport when India is losing, perhaps we also expected the Wind God to propel Ms. George into creating a record- breaking feat.

It is not as if our country lacks talent. Where brain is derived, brawn will also thrive. It is finding, nurturing and sponsoring them. The curtailing of all those disciplines where we land rock bottom and concentrating on those that we excel in, should be our top priority. Unfortunately no one has the time to indulge in these menial affairs. The Indian parents have absolutely no sporting mores- they’d rather let their kids remain the worst Doctors than become the best athletes. The youth are apprehensive to gamble with their future by running around in tracks and fields. The politicians are too busy playing musical chairs, grabbing fruitful seats- even if they cannot differentiate a tennis ball from a football. The sportsmen continue to be deprived of even the basic amenities (some indomitable souls have to even shell out huge sums from their own pockets to survive). The Federations carry on languishing in a stupor of inactivity, while their administrators concentrate more on foreign jaunts and monetary gains. And on the nth hour, just before the next Olympics, everyone is geared to visit the arena. Here, the officials are let free to gallivant around. And the sporting victims, are not only let out into the lion’s den, but also expected to come out victorious, unscathed and alive.

There is definitely no disgrace in losing- the participation spirit is what Olympics is all about. But mere partaking simply isn’t enough. Losing with grit (like some of our athletes did) can still be tolerated but none should be allowed to take a casual approach and let down the hopes of millions without a twinge of regret. Haven’t some of them heard of a thing called determination? It is said that Michael Phelps trains seven days a week, 365 days a year. If our sportsmen trained seriously for even 365 days in four years, we still could achieve some results. It would be so much better for even a few to do their best than everyone to have a yawning difference.

Why do we allow ourselves to flow along with the hype, welcoming high hopes and then feel let down? Why cannot the Sports Minister be given enough powers to revamp the entire sports scenario? Why can’t we have ex-sportspersons as Sports administrators? Why can’t we search for talent with the world records in mind? Why does not the Government take full responsibility to sponsor at least a few chosen ones? Why accept only Cricket as the cream of our games? So many ‘whys’ but for the golden glory of our Nation, is this too much to ask?

‘It is not population’ Major Rathore said after his historical win, ‘but determination that wins medals.’ I know this may sound unsporting but if only…. If only it was the other way round.

Nargis Natarajan.