A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

First the facts
America is a sports mad country and extremely competitive at most sports. Even in a sport like football – a sport most citizens snigger at – they have now managed to reach a fairly decent level

A lot of Americans have guns and use it a fair bit. They have no shortage of ammunition or practise facilities – like Indian shooters do.

Therefore we have established that the sport of shooting has a high participation level in a nation where sporting excellence is part of the DNA.

Now the Olympic fact
American shooters stink – India could beat the Americans any day.

Has there been lack of motivation
No. Historically the Americans and the Russians (or the Soviets) have always gone toe-to-toe in most major sports and a win over the cold war foe has been highly coveted in both nations. Look at basketball, volleyball, athletics, wrestling, boxing, skating, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, diving and many more.

Shooting is one sport where the Soviets have excelled and won a bagful of medals whereas the Americans have been horrible. So do you think the Americans would have lacked the motivation or the ambition to excel at shooting? Wouldn’t they have been totally driven to beat the old enemy?

But in spite of that they have stunk.

What does that prove?
The Americans are hopelessly bad with a gun in their hands – for all their motivation and all the participation in the sport.

So should so many Americans be allowed to roam free with a gun in their hands – When it’s a known fact that they are hopelessly bad at taking aim and in most likelihood will end up shooting the wrong target?

That’s some food for thought for the lawmakers in the US

Just when the heady feeling of basking in the feats of Jeev Milkha Singh, Abhinav Bindra and Saina Nehwal was wearing off, there was more sporting joy in store.

First the much maligned national football team capped off a memorable AFC Challenge Cup by routing the Tajiks in the final. Its probably Indian football’s finest moment since I was born – and after years of joy with my favourite club side ( Man Utd) , I have reason to cheer for my national team. All the credit has been rightly bestowed upon coach Houghton – Indian football joins the bandwagon of sports which have benefited from having a top quality foreign coach and increased international exposure.

The same could have been said of Indian Hockey but alas. Rick Charlesworth who wasn’t considered good enough to coach Indian will soon become coach of the Australian men’s side – replacing Barry Dancer, a highly successful coach who won the Olympic gold and the Champions Trophy with Australia. So its fitting that Indian Football’s high has coincided with Indian hockey’s lowest point.

Then there was a landmark achievement in Chess. Dronavalli Harika and Abhijeet Gupta gave India the unique distinction of becoming the first nation to win both the women’s and the men’s individual title at the Junior World Championship. This is something which even the mighty Soviet Union could never manage. If only Chess could become part of the Olympics – we would become a permanent fixture in the medals tally.

And finally the most adrenalin rushing event happened in boxing. Three Indians and three super victories. Akhil Kumar set the tone by toppling a world champion and then Jitender and Vijender followed with comprehensive wins. And the best part is that these guys were bursting with confidence before the bouts and are setting their sights on nothing less than gold. The chances of a second medal are extremely high and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Like these boxers I also want gold.

While all this was going on there was a setback in tennis – the much heralded pair of Paes and Bhupathi failed in what was probably their last attempt at an Olympic medal together. But it hardly mattered to me. These guys only have themselves and their super inflated egos to blame for it. Their coming together , their success and their break-up will forever remain one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ of Indian sport.

We will talk about the ‘what ifs’ on some other day. This day is to celebrate the new stars of Indian sport. Forget cricket, tennis and hockey. Lets raise a toast to football, chess and boxing

I got up this morning and checked the scores for the PGA Championship. I am a die-hard Jeev Milkha Singh fan and even though the rest of the country and the media doesnt give a damn, I do. The golfer finished 9th and thereby became the first Indian to finish in the top ten of a Major championship. This was a huge achievement and will further boost an already flourishing game in the country. As an Indian sports fan, it was the best way to start your day.

Then the day got ten times better by the time I got settled at work. Thanks to a friend who provided live updates on gtalk, I followed Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal-winning effort shot by shot. And what an effort it was. As an Indian sports fan, it was one of those OMIGOD moments – the kinds you will probably have ten times in your lifetime.

Suddenly, the entire nation knew that the Olympics were on in Beijing. Half the people on my gtalk list had a status message which had something to do with Bindra’s feat – right from NRI’s in the US to middle aged aunties in India.That is something which I have never ever seen happen – the enormity of the shooter’s achievement is loud and clear.

And the most ironical thing is that on a massive day for Jeev,even his father had no time for him and still the golfer will probabaly not mind. Milkha Singh called this day the happiest of his life and meant every word of it.

Emboldened by the gold, I decided to check on how the other Indian’s were faring at the Olympics and soon chanced upon another moment of pure sporting joy – Saina Nehwal’s stunning upset of the world’s fifth best player. An Indian beat a Chinese player, ranked in the top five, in badminton, at the Olympics, in China, in an extremely close match. Thats a combination of six rare things.

She is now just one win away from a medal. We could end up with two medals for the first time since 1952. Take that. How much more do you want in one day.

Then someone reminded me of a cricket match taking place in Srilanka. When I checked the score, the host nation needed 122 to win – a fairly easy thing to do. But when Sangakkara fell and the Lankans were reduced to 25 for 2, it looked as if Indians were not supposed to lose on this day. A comeback victory by the cricketers could have stolen most of Bindra’s thunder.

But then the bubble burst. India lost the test match and the best part was that nobody bothered. Who cares for a bunch of over-paid and over-hyped losers when we have an Olympic Champion in our midst. And the best part is that the youthful and good-looking Bindra also has the potential to do what Rajyavardhan Rathore couldnt – become a media and brand endorsement darling. That he has a steady head on his shoulders and will not get carried away is another matter altogether

The day was not over. Late in the evening I found out about Sania Mirza’s disappointing exit from the singles event. And again I didnt care. I stopped caring for her when I discovered on opening night that she didnt know how to wrap a sari. She has enough time to learn now. And importantly Saina can have all the attention for once.

The day was bittersweet. But the sweet part was so damn good that I really didnt care how the bitter half felt. More glory to Indian sport !!!

One of India’s genuine medal hopes at the Beijing 2008 Olympics – Boxer Akhil Kumar was extremely unhappy as he boarded the flight to China. His unhappiness was due to the fact that his physical trainer – Heath Mathew was not cleared by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to be part of the Olympics. The IOA had fixed a total quota of 42 officials overall and 3 for boxing. Two places were taken by the coaches, one by a manager and the South African trainer had to be sacrificed.

Heath is one of the best in the world at what he does and has helped Akhil recover from two wrist injuries in the past. He has also worked extensively with the other boxers making the trip to China. His role is critical and the need for a physical trainer in a physical sport like boxing cannot be overstated.

I don’t understand why the manager was not sacrificed. What is he going to do? What exactly is he going to manage there? Is he going to act as Akhil’s sparring partner? Or will he play trainer? What help will he provide if one of the boxers were to get injured? Will he apply a band-aid in that case?

Unlike many of the other members of the Indian contingent who have just about managed to meet the qualify mark for Beijing and have no realistic medal hope, Akhil has a really good shot. I am rooting for him to win a medal and just pray to God that the IOA’s best efforts to de-motivate him and leave him at the mercy of a manager in case of an injury come to no good.

The worrying news is that there is a historical precedent of a similar occurrence. In the 1976 Olympics, Sriram Singh had a great chance of winning a medal in the 800 metres. He finished second in the semi-final heat and made the finals. But he ran the semi-final race on a synthetic track. This was his first experience on an artificial surface and the effort took a toll on his legs. Sadly there was no physiotherapist available to massage and relax his legs. Undeterred, Sriram Singh ran valiantly in the final and led till the 550 metre mark before fading out to finish seventh. The lack of a physiotherapist probably cost him a medal.

I just hope Akhil doesn’t suffer the same fate as Sriram Singh. But if he does suffer from an injury and if that affects his performance, I hope Randhir Singh and Suresh Kalmadi and all the others in the IOA rot in hell forever and get no medical attention for the rest of their lives.

Some athletes like Baichung Bhutia refused to run with the Olympic torch in protest against China’s human rights’ violations in Tibet. They were not willing to become part of China’s grand attempt to make a global statement. Sadly, their efforts have barely amounted to anything.

Don’t lose heart. Stephen A. Smith has a solution which could have a lasting impact –something which could really spoil China’s grand party. However, it will take an athlete who really gives a damn about the Tibetans’ plight and one who really has the courage and conviction to stand up to his beliefs.

So this is my message to all the sportsperson competing in Beijing 2008

DO YOU REALLY CARE?

If you do, then do something similar to what Tommie Smith and John Carlos did in Mexico 1968. MAKE A STATEMENT OF LASTING PROPORTIONS.

Here’s a list of options that you have

Jan Železný is a former World and Olympic champion in the javelin. He strode like a colossus in the sport, winning three Olympic and world titles each, and setting numerous other records, most of which have been far beyond his mortal rivals. He is unanimously considered ‘the greatest javelin thrower ever’ and will at least make the ballot in a poll of ‘the greatest athlete ever’. But this part is well known to most people who watch the Olympics or follow athletics. The unknown or little known fact is his tryst with a sport, which Jan himself had never heard about.

Železný grew up in the former Czechoslovakia, where baseball is as popular as Ice Hockey in Saudi Arabia. Add to that the fact, that Javelin throwing is just as popular in the baseball playing populace of North and Central America, and none of the baseball scouts would have ever laid their eyes on Jan as a future baseball prospect.

The two worlds met in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where the existing World and Olympic champion enhanced his reputation further by adding another Olympic crown. And then the local Major League Baseball side – The Atlanta Braves sat up and took notice of his hidden potential. The man with the ‘Strongest Arm in the World’ could surely hurl the baseball at amazing speeds.

And hurl he definitely could, in fact his speed was too much for his own good. The Braves arranged a try out, where Železný ended up breaking a camera positioned well behind the catcher. The team tried to coach and train him but sadly things didn’t work out. The Strongest Arm was built for range and not accuracy. It remains a Fairy Tale that nearly was.

P.S.: I am currently on vacation and unable to write frequently. Will start supplying the regular quota of posts once I am back on the 13th.

The Union Ministry of Sports has decided to demote hockey from the ‘priority’ to the ‘general’ category. This means that Indian Hockey will now receive less money from the Centre and that would have an adverse affect on a number of things — right from sending players abroad for competitions to conducting coaching camps and providing sports equipment. Hockey has been demoted due to the lack of international success, and has been replaced by sports like Wushu, Kayaking and canoeing. The ministry deemed them to have more medal prospects than hockey. The message is loud and clear – that hockey is as good as dead and we have no future in the game.

Iam totally flabbergasted by the arcane logic of the ministry. Had the ministry been a parent, they would have stopped feeding their child, and sending him to school, for getting bad grades, rather than getting extra tuition or paying more attention to the child’s home-work.

Secondly, it is brainless comparing a team sport with an individual one, in terms of their medal winning potential (‘number’ of medals that can be won in that sport). You can only win one medal in a team sport, whereas a sport like canoeing would easily have around 40-50 on offer. It requires the collective effort of eleven players to win team events, whereas a swimmer like Michael Phelps alone can get you half a dozen medals.

Football and volleyball have also been penalized for poor performances – fair point. So what about cricket then? We have recently justified the ICC’s decision to give test status to Bangladesh. And mind you, cricket is hardly a global sport. There are just a handful of nations who play it and the only time it featured in the Olympics was way back in 1904. Cricket deserves special treatment, but Hockey doesn’t? The last time I heard it was still our national game and remains to this date the only sport, where we have won an Olympic gold.

The despotic president of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), KPS Gill is unperturbed by the decision. After all, his Herculean efforts to kill the game have finally started to bear fruit. If only the govt took some affirmative action in taking him to task and not the game itself.

Finally, special thanks to the sports minister, Mr. Mani Shanker Aiyer, for the timing of his announcement. On the same day, a youthful Indian side under a new coach had raised new hope by storming into the semi-final of the Azlan Shah Trophy. Greater irony in the fact, that this year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the ‘First War of Indian Independence’- and murder the ‘game’ which did more than any ‘war’ in bringing the people of this country together and giving it back to the British (In the 1948 London Olympics, a newly independent India beat Great Britain in the final). I bet the likes of Dhyan Chand (Hockey’s equivalent of Pele and Bradman) and Balbir Singh are turning in their graves.