Leaving cricket aside, competitive sports have no place in Indian psyche. Thus while every newspaper worth its salt has a rep in South Africa to cover the cricket, only a few, I suspect, has cared to spare someone for 15th Asian Games at Doha. Not that it matters much, for India doesn’t have many medal-winning prospects at the Games.
Ever since India’s Doha squad was announced, controversy never left company. Let me mention a couple of them. One, it was the overlooking of Sushmita Singha Roy for heptathlon event in favor of supposedly lower-placed JJ Sobha of AP.
Then came AFI’s (Athletics Federation of India) decision not to field athlete Pinki Pramanik in 800 meters, her favorite event, instead pushing her for 400 meters race, which clearly she is not comfortable with.
True to what can be expected from a ragtag team, the beginning hasn’t been good. The hockey team’s performance is so below par that a win against lowly Bangladesh is made out as a great event.
The tennis team has exited in the first round, and allegations of not doing enough for the country are flying back and forth between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, on whose shoulder laid a hope of gold medal, could manage only a bronze in shooting.
India is of course happy to win golds in nondescript events like kabaddi, chess and billiards. News channels customarily showed the winners mostly in still shots, which speak volumes about how their wins are viewed.
Conforming to usual expectations, Indian participants continue to fail and falter at most events, which is why its medal tally is nothing to write about.
What ails India in sports? Why is it that we don’t love our sports? Why is it that we don’t feel a pang of shame at our abysmal showings at every international meet? Above all, can we ever hope to consistently make our country proud? Any answer?
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