Rio Olympics 2016 And Four Indian Women!

The Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, August 6-21,2016, have come to a grand close today. We have no space here to cover all those terrific achievers from across the world. Therefore we will concentrate only on India, although it has been a disappointing tale. As usual, India sent the largest ever contingent to participate in various sports disciplines, but for eleven long days the country fumed and fretted for an elusive medal which was made worse by some negative vibes, comments and hiccups. However, four magnificent ladies from a largely patriarchal society came to the fore and the focus of concentrated attention giving the countrymen a rare opportunity to feel proud of them. 

In Badminton expectations were mostly from Saina Nehwal, but she failed not even through to midway in the competition. And came PV Sindhu, not at all in contention for a medal, and fought like a tigress competing with players much much higher in world ranking. She set the ball of euphoria rolling by entering the quarter finals of women's singles event and then stormed into the semis. In that memorably aggressive match she defeated world no. 6 and ensured a silver medal by entering the finals. For a change, cricket fever was replaced by Badminton excitement as whole of India watched that marvellously fought final. Sindhu did everything possible to justify the country's slogan 'go for gold', but finally was outmanoeuvred by some killer smashes by world no.1 Carolina Marin from Spain. PV Sindhu won the Silver medal and made Indians proud and celebrating. 

In wrestling focus was mostly on Narsingh Yadav who, unfortunately, got a four-year ban from the WADA on the day he was to open his campaign, and on Yogeshwar Dutt in 65kg freestyle who even failed to qualify on the last day of the Olympics. Meanwhile, coming from nowhere Indian woman Sakshi Malik in women's 58kg freestyle wrestling won the country's first Rio medal by winning the Bronze in the play-off. Medal hopes for India erupted after this wonderful moment and Indian girls commanded absolute attention. 

Two other magnificent ladies captured the fascination of the country not by winning medals, but by making revelations what Indian women are capable of performing if given the right kind of respect and facilities. 

Dipa Karmakar from the North Eastern state of Tripura represented India in Artistic Gymnastics for the first time ever and came agonisingly close to winning at least a Bronze.  She finished fourth in the finals by the narrowest of margins and enthralled the country by doing the extremely dangerous Vault of Death. She became a celebrity and rightfully so. 

Aditi Ashok did what was least expected even by the most optimistic. In the highly west-dominated sport of Golf she almost did it to the finals, but on the day that mattered most she could not go on and slid to 31st position. She too brought to the fore the fact what Indian women can do in disciplines that were not given enough thought by the sports mandarins of India. 

These four ladies, of course apart from few other promising ones, saved the blushes for India in Rio. A Gold medal has been eluding India since the Beijing Olympics of 2008 while in London Olympics 2012 India did send the largest ever contingent and won the largest ever haul of six medals, but without a Gold. And sticking with the largest ever contingent to Rio India fare poorly with just two medals. In men's Hockey in Rio India did very well initially, but could not keep the momentum going, only sort of satisfied with the fact that they defeated the ultimate Gold medal winner Argentina. In Tennis too all hopes were belied. There is not much to write home about other fields of action in Rio as far as India is concerned. 

Sports infrastructure and state-of-the-art facilities still lack miserably in India and miles to go before the country of more than a billion could realistically hope for better performances in the world games. Our four ladies give the Sports authority enough food for thought for the future.  And of course, the Power of Indian Women can never be underestimated after the Rio experience. Time for the right thinking people of this country to get clear of all prejudices, bias and gender discrimination. 

London Olympics-2012 Opening Tonight!

The much awaited London Olympics-2012  starts tonight, the 27^th July with a grand opening ceremony planned in some amount of secrecy by the celebrated filmmaker Danny Boyle (famous in India for his controversial and yet Oscar winning movie The Slumdog Millionaire). But in India the Olympics would actually start in the wee hours tomorrow, the 28^thof July. After a series of controversies concerning sponsorship, concerning India and concerning serious security issues the once-in-four-year mega World Event is finally going to unfold in all its grandeur.

India is very big country, but its presence in the Olympics has always been little—in terms of medals won particularly Gold medals. This is unfortunate and is mainly the result of a commercial approach to sports with sponsors coming  forward to put money in only money-spinning games like cricket. The government’s policy has been lukewarm too with a lot of former or promising athletes rotting in uninhabitable environs or in unthinkable jobs. This time India has sent the largest contingent ever (83 athletes) to London Olympics, but the medal hopes have not increased in a proportionate way. In all, 11,000 athletes from 204 nations will be competing for honors in 39 disciplines.

In London Olympics-2012 the Indian medal hopes mainly emanate from Archery, Shooting, Wrestling, Boxing and Badminton only, though India is participating in 13 disciplines. Narsingh Yadav is a gold medal hope in 74kg freestyle wrestling. He is the son of a milkman in Mumbai slums. He had already won gold medals in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in 2010. And, he continues to live in the slums, though people here want him to make Mumbai proud! As per the latest news the Government of Maharashtra had offered him an officer’s job in the state police services.

In India’s national game Hockey, it is yes-yes and no-no depending on the mercurial team’s  performances on the particular days. In Tennis, you never know. Indian Tennis stars had recently proved their expertise in petty egoistic fights only. Some people hope for medals from the Bhupathy-Bopanna pair in men’s doubles though they crashed out unceremoniously in the Wimbledon-2012. Some pin their hopes on the Leander-Sania pair in mixed doubles. 

More Indian medals would certainly make the Indian fans happy, but the grand spectacle of the Olympics is set to regale one and all just for the sheer excellence of it. People across the country will be able to enjoy the London Olympics-2012 on the national channel of Doordarshan. 

 

IPL Cricket Spot Fixing Verdict: BCCI Fries The Small Fish!

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held a crucial meeting today in Mumbai and banned five domestic cricket players found guilty of corruption or indulgence in spot fixing. BCCI’s new anti-corruption Unit gave its report to the disciplinary committee and after deliberations in the meet the decisions were taken.

The five players were charged with varying degrees of culpability to negotiating or bargaining for money for spot fixing in domestic cricket matches and to loose talk or bragging bringing the game of cricket into disrepute. TP Sudhindra, the chief offender, was banned for life while Shalabh Srivastava was banned for five years. The other three namely Mohnish Mishra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali, charged with lesser offence, were banned for one year each. These players were notionally suspended on May 15, 2012 after a television news channel sting operation exposed their involvement in spot fixing.

The BCCI verdict has been hailed as a tough measure to crack corruption and it is expected to act as a deterrent. But these five cricketers are only fringe actors and just two of them managed to figure in a few Indian Premiere League (IPL) matches without showing any exceptional abilities. They have no impact or influence on Indian cricket and that seems to be the basic reason for the harsh punishment. Okay, it might prove a deterrent to the small fish not to go for the bait straightaway! But this would be till they make it big. Once they make it big in Indian cricket they become untouchable and immune to the cricket Board itself. The biggest of deals always go unpunished despite being tremendous acts of corruption.  

If fact, this applies to every field of Indian activity. Once you have clout you can dare and do anything. In the Biggest Indian Tennis fight we saw the ‘key’ players dictating terms in careless abandon. Their garrulous demands were accepted through pitiful begging, personalized negotiations and Olympian compromises. Maybe as a classic finishing touch, the fifth seeded Grand Slam winning mixed doubles pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza crashed out of the Wimbledon today losing pathetically to an unseeded pair in a second round match. The London Olympics lies round the corner to carry the ‘fight’ forward!

For the moment though let us welcome BCCI fighting corruption! 

The Biggest Indian Tennis Fight: Sania Mirza Lashes Out!

Sania Mirza, the No.1 female tennis star of India, had been silent throughout the biggest Indian tennis fight as she was not guaranteed to participate in the London Olympics. The moment she got the wild card entry into the Olympics Sania got wild and justifiably so. 

Sania Mirza attacked the All India Tennis Association (AITA) for using her as ‘bait’ to pacify and lure a disgruntled stalwart (read Leander Paes) to represent India in the London Olympics-2012. She interpreted AITA’s compromise as ‘an insult to womanhood’ and a decision that reeked of ‘male chauvinism’. She also alleged that the said compromise had broken up the French Open Grand Slam winning combination of herself with Mahesh Bhupathi in the mixed doubles.

She also criticized Paes’s father for demanding a written assurance from her that she would pair only with Leander in the London Olympics mixed doubles. While expressing her anguish for such an unwarranted demand Sania said that she was committed to her country and would play with Leander for the larger interests. She did not spare even the stalwarts for their egoistic and grumbling behavior—Leander wanted only the best to partner him, Bhupathi did not want to play with him, the next best option Rohan Bopanna wanted to play with Bhupathi only and therefore the helpless AITA worked out a compromise of sending two men’s doubles teams and offering Sania as a 'concession' to Leander in the mixed doubles. The AITA was a picture of helplessness in its so-called defense of Sania’s attack.

Sania Mirza wrote to Leander upholding the case of Vishnu Vardhan as a very talented player and that there ought to be no second thoughts on partnering with him. On a positive note she said she was thrilled to be playing at the Olympics and for that she was ready to put her most humiliating experience aside.

With the Wimbledon Championships, the third Grand Slam event of the year, in full swing it would be interesting to watch how the disgruntled Indian tennis stars fare up to the challenge. They should realize, of course, that the same grass courts are going to be used in the London Olympics tennis events.

The Biggest Indian Tennis Fight: Blackmail, Compromises And Suspense!

We have always heard about the Indian cricketing superstars dictating terms to their controlling Board on when they need rest or which format of the game they need to play and so on. But what the Indian tennis players have been doing to their selectors would make the cricket superstars look like silly brats! Both sets of players show a common characteristic though—self interest first and the pride of the nation later.

Leander Paes, the best international doubles tennis player for India, wanted the next best Indian to pair him so that the chances of getting an Olympic medal in London got maximized. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) toed his line from the very outset. But a crisis situation developed when the next best players—Mahesh Bhupathi—refused to play with Leander. The IATA then hooked up Rohan Bopanna, the next best seeded player, for pairing with Leander. But Bopanna also refused and agreed to play only with Bhupathi. The Indian Sports Ministry tried to intervene by suggesting a double-team option and by appealing to the players again to consider pride of the nation first. The final decision on the matter was left to the IATA.

Meanwhile Leander Paes kept on saying that he would never pair with a lower seeded player as that could nip Olympic medal hopes in the bud. He was even hinting at withdrawing from the Games if his wishes were not fulfilled.

With just hours before the deadline of making the tennis Olympic entries the IATA finally declared two men’s doubles tennis teams for the London Olympics-2012. Vishnu Vardhan, seeded 206 internationally, was selected to pair Leander. Bhupathi was allowed to be the second team with Bopanna. A decision that must have pained Paes and elated Bhupathi and Bopanna. 

To placate Paes the IATA offered a concession that Sania Mirza, the lady tennis star of India, would pair only with Paes for the mixed doubles if, of course, she managed to get the wild card to participate in the Olympics. The IATA also declared that disciplinary action against the bullying players was not thought about at the moment since the Olympics was a huge occasion when all concerned ought to concentrate on making their country proud. One factor that also came in favor of IATA’s compromises or rather helplessness was the fact that unwilling players could not possibly be forced to show results or win medals for India.

But the biggest fight was far from over. The offended Paes had stopped communicating to IATA and his father became his spokesperson indicating the likely withdrawal of Paes from the Olympics. Paes was also reported of demanding a written assurance from IATA that only he would play with Sania in the mixed doubles. No doubt, he has been the greatest tennis player of India, but the greatest showing of power and clout is just not making his fans happy. As the fight starts to degenerate into a blackmail drama the suspense keeps everyone guessing.

An aghast nation waits disbelievingly for the sordid drama to end and the Indian Olympic campaign begin in the right earnest. All players who come in the way must be quickly and effectively brought to book, the cries seem to get louder and clearer.

The Biggest Tennis Fight: India Prepare For The Olympics Well!

The duo of A and B has been most productive for India winning three doubles Grand Slams over the years of togetherness. They had been the best of friends too and many described them as husband-wife preferring to remain silent on who was the better half!

But A and B fought…and fought bitterly in 2002 splitting up and going separate ways. They continued to team up and not ‘pair’ up for major international tournaments though. Maybe reaching an understanding about who was the better half they patched up and played as a pair for the Australian open in 2011.

But they fought again just before the London Olympics and fought the bitterest ever. B does not want to be paired with A at any cost as B lost faith in A irreparably. Both of them want C as a partner. Now C loathes A and wants only to be paired with B.

D—their father—pulled them up hard and stuck to what it thought the basic need of the hour. That A and B pair had been the best ever and the only real chance for Olympic honors. Coming under A’s pressure D wanted to consider pairing A and C, but C refused vehemently. Angry and confused, D asked them to think of the family first and personal issues later. The issue of sending two pairs from the same family never crossed distraught D’s mind!

Bitterly disappointed, B approached the Godfather and pleaded him to mediate into the family feudalistic matters. The Godfather ordered D to seriously consider the option of sending two pairs or rather two teams as the costs were to be borne by him only, as always. The Godfather set a deadline so that the Olympics started on time in July! Bemused neighbors joined in the already-gaining-momentum chorus ‘Stop Fighting, Start Playing’! 

Dear readers, please put the values for A, B, C, D and the Godfather and get the full story. I have given you enough clues and links to get to that. Trust me; I do not doubt your intelligence. Like me you too must be looking forward to the London Olympics in July, 2012.