Ten days of the Olympics at Rio are over. The largest ever Indian squad at the Olympics is still medal-less and the hopes of any are fast receding. The shooters, the hockey teams, archers, athletes, most of the badminton players, boxers, swimmers, gymnastics etc. have made their mark, given a few moments to cherish and should be winging their way back home soon.
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Some of them still remain in the fray and have tough battles ahead, while the wrestlers, who have often done well, have still to start their campaign.
So, how should one rate India¡¯s performances at Rio? Should it be like Shobha De, who said ¡°Goal for Team India at the Olympics: Rio jao. Selfies lo. Khaali haat wapas aao. What a waste of money and opportunity¡±?
De has been trolled massively for this insensitive tweet of her and rightly so. When I say rightly so, it is not because she is completely wrong, but because she confused the athletes who toil for their nation with those who are free-loaders. If only she had specified who, she would¡¯ve been spared the attacks.
Right, and that¡¯s how the performances need to be analysed, at two levels. One, our athletes, and two, the role played by the various associations and federations.
Let us look at our athletes first. Despite no medal so far, and its likelihood diminishing rapidly, there are several positives. Once upon a time, all that India could ever look at was hockey, although, in between, there were occasional standout performances such as Sriram Singh or Shivnath Singh or PT Usha in athletics. Then we started looking better in more and more sports. Badminton, shooting, archery, wrestling and boxing, to name a few.
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The fact that Lalita Babar made it to the finals of the 3000m steeplechase, the first time an Indian athlete has made it that far since PT Usha in 1984. And that was a truncated field, this wasn¡¯t. Then the likes of Dutee Chand who qualified to participate in athletics event along with a few others. Remember, this is Olympics we are talking about, not some mohalla level event. They had to cross a certain mark to be even considered for a spot. There were also Dattu Bhokanal in rowing, Atanu Das and other archers, Vikas Krishan in boxing and so on. Even in hockey, though we failed in the quarterfinals, the fact that we made it to the knock-out stage once again after 36 years is no joke. And we have repeatedly beaten the best in recent years.
Of course, who can forget Dipa Karmarkar! To come from a small place in Tripura, and then to stun the world with the most difficult of vaults, forcing the best in the world to sit up and acknowledge, indeed respect her performances. Sure, there have been no medals, but the spread of sports where we are getting there is no mean feat. In fact, it is because of so many clearing the qualifying mark in various sports that we managed to send the largest ever contingent. Only a fool will not see it as a mark of progress, or at least the movement in the right direction.
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It is no secret that most of our athletes are self-made, who¡¯ve risen to the levels where they can represent their nation by the dint of their hard work alone. They have had very less access to scientific training or diet or what have you during their formative years. Only after their talent has been discovered and they have already made a mark for themselves do they get a semblance of support from federations. And it doesn¡¯t come easy. And that is where the real problem lies, really!
Most federations are run by powerful individuals, often a politician, like fiefs. And they dole out largesse to athletes like patronage. You may be the best in the country, perhaps have the ability to challenge the best in the world, but you are a nobody if you don¡¯t fall on your all fours in front of them.
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I have often wondered why, when such good and well-intentioned people head sports ministries, there is still no change. It is because the sports ministry has almost zero control over federations. The ministry¡¯s sole job seems to be to provide funds and not ask any questions. The first attempt to raise a query is responded to by a phone call from someone higher up that the federation satraps have access to.
There have been attempts in recent times to rein these federations in, but they have failed. And as long as the control remains with those whose main aim is to offer patronage to their favourites, things are unlikely to change. There has often been a criticism of more officials than athletes as part of our delegations. And while they strut around like God¡¯s gift to mankind, often with little or no idea about their role, the athletes have to fend for themselves. In fact, it would also be good to count the number of federations that have sent representatives to Rio when there is no participant in the event. These are free-loaders, who feed on yours and my tax money. They need to be off-loaded. Period!
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Let the federations work on the various schemes that exist on paper. ¡®Catch ¡¯em young¡¯, promoting indigenous sports, promoting a sporting culture, broad-basing of sports, identifying areas where talent exists and giving them proper support in terms of coaches, infrastructure. Build accountability in the system. Those who have been at the helm for long with no result need to be booted out.
But then, who will bell the cat? Most have such a cozy equation with one another at the top that the athletes and public¡¯s complaints are seen as no more than a rant.
The media and the social media, who jump at the first opportunity to criticise our athletes need to realise where the fault lies.
Our sportsmen are doing a great job amidst all the shortcomings that exist. Their performances are despite the system, not because of it. And they work hard to be there. It is far far, tougher than sitting in drawing rooms and passing judgements by as much as moving your fingers. If you have the power, take on the officials who do nothing and spare our athletes, please!