Something to cheer about apart from cricket….Is Indian sports finally coming to age?

Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar, Vijendra Kumar... names unheard of by and large in India; are today the face of India in Beijing Olympics 2008. The media can’t get enough of them and the layman is aware about the achievements of these guys today.

It couldn’t have come at a better moment too, with injury ridden Indian cricket team finding it hard to get a stronghold in the on-going Sri-Lanka- India match. In a cricket crazy country like ours, its remarkable to see these young guns find an off-beat sport (atleast in India) and excel at it!

After our usual glamour stars poor or dismissive performance in the events, nobody would have expected such fantastic results from these unexpected quarters. Hopefully the Olympic results will infuse new life into the various sports that are played in India but are never promoted or never receive their due.

Many sporting achievements, including our national sport hockey have been pushed in the realms of obliviation and obscurity thanks to the efforts of some lobbyists and our ignorance. As public at large we fail to notice or applaud the efforts and achievements of our sporting heros who have represented India in sports other than cricket.

Cricket today has become a major cash cow for many. The sporting stars there, are earning exorbitant amounts. The brands that these stars endorse lobby in many ways than one to ensure that their star plays the game in turn ensuring better profits and brand associations for them. The sportsmanship and spirit of the game was further crippled by the betting and other associated scandals.

The paradoxical situation is the BCCI is touted to be the richest cricket association in the world while many other sporting federations can’t afford international standard equipments and support for their players so that they could compete with international players.

With the recent achievements of Abhinav, Sushil and Vijendra, the many state governments rushed forward to announce huge sums of money as awards in recognition to their efforts, some completely unrelated (eg: Maharashtra, Bihar). It is good; however I just hope that instead of just announcing cash prizes these state governments could do something better.

• Why not instate a cash award or scholarship to deserving amateurs in these heros name?
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• Why not offer them a regular contract of coaching or conducting workshops in the respective state sports academy or federation?
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• Why not create a fund for your respective sports association and ensure that the sport is given its due?

I am sure these efforts on part of the state government would go a long way in keeping the current momentum high. Finally some other sport apart from cricket is being recognized in India. The media is doing its due now it’s largely upto the public and state government to acknowledge and promote sports other than cricket (and their heroes.)