We're a confused nation of sports followers

We seem to be a very confused nation of sports followers, yours truly not to be excluded. When the opening ceremony was to take place for the Beijing Olympics, there was hardly any publicity as to which channel would air the extravagant event. I assumed Doordarshan must have bagged it. Hence, no publicity drive was in order. More so, as the commentators in Hindi and English were hardly in sync with the mega event. So much for our communication between the IOA, Sports Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I and B). It was difficult to compliment one and disintegrate the other.

Some things certainly don’t change, for example, the ‘professional’ commentators from the I and B. When pin-drop silence was required in and around the shooting hall, where Abhinav Bindra was creating history, an ugly voice was non-stop irritation. Again, when a young Indian archer was making her presence felt against an Australian, an irritable voice was becoming more and more unbearable. Allow me to mention that some of the commentators present in Beijing are actually from the time of my playing days. Some longevity this! I am told there is a team of 82 commentators doing the rounds in Beijing.

It reminds me of a workshop of commentators held by the I and B ministry before the first ever cricket World Cup held in India in 1987. It was simply laughable. The present bunch is not even funny. So, more is a pity.

It took Abhinav Bindra almost 15 years to be an overnight star. By his own admission, the system was no help at all. It was just as well that Abhinav was born with a golden gun in his mouth! How many of our Olympic medal hopes can claim to have that fortune?

Abhinav could afford to brush aside all the sub-standard propositions from the sports ministry and carry on his own training-cum-coaching schedule in Germany. Of course, he had an air-conditioned shooting range for practice in his backyard too. What a boon for the prospective medal winner! Way, tell me, how many athletes in our country can afford to take on the establishment on their terms and get away with flying colours.

Let’s not for a moment discount the spine injury which kept Abhinav in cold storage for considerable period. Anybody else with limited resources (both financial and emotional) would have packed in and cursed his ill luck forever.

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