India is a
cricketing nation they say. We have had amongst the best teams in the world
these past few years, especially since Dhoni took over as captain. We won a
number tours, some at home and others abroad. We even won more than one world
cup and maintained our standing in world rankings for some time before we had a
bad spell recently. All is good and well for the Indian cricket team at the
moment.
So what
about other sports?
Our
national team didn't qualify for the Football World Cup in Brazil.
Our players
are still not getting paid for playing hockey for the nation.
Our
athletes in shooting do not have enough money or facilities to practice.
Our archers
borrow equipment from other countries during tournaments.
Our nation
is represented by the Olympic flag since we are banned from participation.
And, we
have no notable athletes in cycling, high jump, long jump, pole vault,
swimming, discus throw, javelin throw and track events. Only tennis and chess
are the two other games where we make what little impact we do in the
international sports arena.
So why is
it that we have no standing whatsoever in any other game but cricket, I wonder.
Taking into consideration what I've seen happen all these years, I can only
come to the conclusion that cricket is the drug that is being injected into the
public to keep them occupied. That cricket is being used just like the Roman
games at the Coliseum. It was a well known fact even then that an entertained
populace is a satisfied and lazy populace which will keep one on the throne as
long as they are entertained.
Cricket in
India is not controlled by the government but by an independent body known as
the Board for Control of Cricket in India. This is not a government body and
does not come under anyone’s purview but the justice system of India. There is
no regulation or audit by anyone and therefore the so-called ‘Indian’ cricket
team actually does not even represent the nation. They play for a private
organization which hires politicians and bureaucrats to enhance its political
leverage.
On the
other hand, almost every other outdoor game is controlled by the Government of
India through the Sports Ministry. But still they are doing nothing at all to
give these games and their prospective players a chance to flourish not only at
the state and national, but also the international stage. Building a cricket
ground in a city that already has one is alright, but building a hockey or
football pitch where there are none is probably a waste of money.
Being the
second largest population on the planet, we can be sure to find enough players
for every sport there is and win half of them at the very least. Instead, we
don’t even qualify or participate in over half of such events and get banned
from the one true world championship, the Olympics. The problem is that we have
the players, we have the passion, we have everything except equipment,
infrastructure and funding to let our players practice and develop to the
standards of the world.
To this I
can only say, “Well played India, well played.”
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