Project 365: Day 103 — At last, a medal for India!
A lot has changed in the last 24 hours. We (India) have won one Bronze Medal thanks to the lovely Sakshi Malik for Wrestling and thanks to PV Sindhu making it to the Badminton Final, we have a sure shot at a Silver Medal. Last night, I didn’t even know who Sakshi Malik was. Now she’s the pride of the nation, the face of all the memes. I’m so happy she won. Even in all her interviews, it feels like she can’t believe she’s won. What a lovely girl she is!
In other news, the young 21 year-old P V Sindhu has gotten through to the Badminton Final. And though it was a one-sided game with Sindhu finishing real strong, she definitely has what it takes to win. Sure, she’s up against a World №1. But how many shockers have we seen in badminton and tennis for us to keep our hopes up? If nothing else, like I said earlier, she will still have won us a Silver — which is more than what we had hoped for, given that the usual suspects like Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Dipa Karmakar had not been able to win.
Why these victories are important for India
2016 has been particularly dismal after seeing a good medal tally in 2008 and 2012 at the Olympics. The Indian Olympics contingent literally have relatives of people in power sent so they can party, rather than be there for the athletes. The Chief Medical Officer that has been sent is one such specimen who is a radiologist. He prescribes Combiflam, a painkiller to athletes when they go to him for medical aid. A wealthy socialite recently criticised our athletes by saying all they go and do there is party and click selfies. Anyone with half a brain knows the kind of hardships these people go through to even qualify to be eligible for selection. Read about Manish Singh Rawat and you will know what he has gone through and how India itself has let down its sportspersons.
The reason a Sania Mirza and Abhinav Bindra have been able to excel at their respective disciplines is because both were privileged enough to have had the money, access to training and resources required to go out there and get a medal. It’s easy to point fingers at our players but do those pointing fingers realise that even the players know it’s their one shot at recognition and glory, else it’s another 4 years of fading into oblivion.
To a large extent, it’s our system of education that’s at fault. As is the mindset of parents. We prioritise education and lessons over sport, not realising that sport doesn’t come after one’s education is done, sport is constant learning, practice and getting better with each passing day. Often coaches at the lowest level kill the confidence of budding talent buy rejecting and ridiculing them. What control does the Indian administration have there? Why is it that countries like the US have a Simone Biles who’s brilliant but we have a Dipa Karmakar who struggled to get to where she is today, whose sport too many Indians including myself, know nothing about, who wasn’t provided a physiotherapist until she qualified for the Gymnastics Finals. Countries like the US, have good athletes because they were given the opportunity, training and mentorship at the right time.
The problem is that in India, sport is still an extra-curricular activity than a passion. We need to change that than lament about our players not winning medals. Medals can be secondary. Training is what will make them superior. If the Board for Control of Cricket in India donated 100 crore rupees to a particular sport annually , they would still have pots of money and the players would get access to the right kind of infrastructure. The wife of one of the richest men in the world, Nita Ambani represents India on the International Olympics Committee. I haven’t seen her do anything for the Olympics athletes.
It’s time India moved beyond lip service and focused on the heart of the matter. Only then can our budding stars shine.
