[nukkad] Sydney Olympics...........

[Albert Joseph <>]

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THAT SINKIN FEELIN...
By Darius Jilla, IndiaWorld Communications

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	BILLION-POPULATION INDIA'S DISGRACEFUL SINGLE BRONZE AT SYDNEY,
WHILE MINI-POPULATION COUNTRIES WIN SEVERAL MEDALS/GOLDS, DEMANDS PLAN TO
SALVAGE COUNTRY'S PRESTIGE......
     
	It's the biggest scandal of the Sydney Olympics-a nation of a
billion people unable so far to win more than a solitary bronze medal.
	This statement in no way diminishes the magnificent individual
achievement of weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, the winner of India's first
(and so far, sole) medal at the Millennium Olympic Games, and the first
Indian woman in Olympic history to win an individual medal.
	What this statement does is to highlight the disgrace of a
	billion-strong country (population: one thousand million:
	1,000,000,000, or one hundred crores: 100,00,00,000) in this fiasco
of an Olympics participation-when even tiny 7-million-strong Switzerland can
already by Day 5 win four medals: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, and could well
win more.
	Or, also by Day 5, an Asian country like South Korea,
46-million-strong, could run up a tally of eight medals: 1 gold, 4 silver, 3
bronze.
	Leaving out of account the rich medal harvests already garnered by
traditional Olympics powerhouses like the USA (19 medals), Australia
(19medals), China (16 medals), or France (13 medals).
	Currently, India's Olympics presence is nothing less than a farce, a
pretence at participation. A farce in which numerous freebie-greedy,
free-loading officials openly fight each other to get places on the gravy
train.
	Newsmagazine Outlook, 25 September, under the heading "On a Summer
Holiday", comments: "It's time to please our babus. Ten of them, we think,
need not be there in Sydney". Among the ten listed are 2 out of 4 "observers
for hockey", plus the stenographer of the Chef de mission!
	What are other participants doing?
	"Australia has been working to a long-term plan...the Gold Medal
Plan, since just after the Olympics were awarded to Sydney. The targets set
in that plan -- 60 medals, 20 gold-roughly correspond to those achieved...in
Melbourne in 1956...
	"China is both a big power and a niche player at the same time,
already touted to excel in many of the gymnastics-type sports, plus
Asia-dominated disciplines such as badminton...Coach Li Yongbo hopes for two
or three gold medals from his sport..."
	The magazine describes the burden imposed on Indian athletes, who
represent "a nation of medal-starved couch commentators", and the problems
faced by those who are hopelessly outclassed: "If one were to go by the
world and Olympics records, the Indian quartet of Paramjeet Kaur, Manjima
Kuriakose, Rosa Kutty and KM Beenamol in the 4x400 relay don't figure
anywhere near.
	"The Indian women's best is 3:28.11, and compare this to the US
women's 3:20.91. Even though coach Bahadur Singh is hopeful that they will
improve their timing to somewhere around 3:26 for that all-important spot in
the final, it seems highly unlikely that they will bring back home some
medals.
	"But then, who's stopped us from dreaming? Hasn't that been our
favourite pastime all these years?"
	"Worth the Weight" reads the caption to a photograph of weightlifter
Karnam Malleswari, concentrating on a lift, in the Free Press Journal, 20
September, quoting a PTI report from Sydney:
	"Malleswari only saving grace as others falter: Andhra Pradesh
weightlifter Karnam Malleswari on 19 September etched her name indelibly in
India's Olympic history by being the first woman from the country to win a
medal at the quadrennial extravaganza here.
	"The 24-year-old Malleswari from Cuddapah became the toast of the
nation by lifting her way to the women's 69 kg. bronze, with a career-best
total clearance of 240 kg., including 110 in snatch and 130 in clean and
jerk, which helped India open their account at the Millennium Games.
	"It was only the third individual medal won by India in the
	Olympics...
     
	"Malleswari's total lift bettered her earlier best of 230 kg., and
was only 2.5 kg. off the identical lifts by gold medallist Lin Weining and
silver winner Erzsebet Markus of Hungary, both of whom cleared 242.5 kg....
	"Elsewhere, the Indian men's hockey team surrendered their lead
twice against pre-tournament favourites Australia, and were held to a 2-2
draw in Group B league. It then lost badly to Korea to bounce back in the
match against Spain. They take on Poland today to decide their semi-final
fate. 
	"In rowing, the Indian challenge sank without a trace with the
elimination of their men's coxless pair of Kasam Khan and Inder Pal
Singh...The rowers performed abysmally...and were also off the timing
clocked in the heats by more than six seconds...despite having had the
experience of training for four months in New Jersey, under American coach
Ted Bonanno...
	"National badminton champion Gopi found the going too tough against
Hendrawan and lost after a 35-minute struggle, to mark an end to India's
challenge in the shuttle game. Women's champion Aparna Popat had made her
exit earlier, without causing any ripples".
	How can India remedy its lack of sufficient Olympics-level athletic
talent?
	Some obvious points for consideration (say Olympics games experts)
if the country wishes to salvage its tarnished Olympics record- and if it
has the political will and discipline to do so-are as follows:
	1.	Follow Australia's example by working out a long-term
plan-the Gold Me dal Plan-setting realistic targets;
	2.	To allow time for implementing the plan, consider avoiding
participation in the 2004 Olympics, concentrating instead on identifying and
developing young talent for 2008;
	3.	Throw out all the freebie-hungry free-loading officials and
instead hire the best available coaches and provide promising youngsters
with free world-class training and infrastructural facilities;
	4.	Follow China's example by identifying niche items-eg.
badminton
*	in which talented players could improve further.
			Eight years isn't very long in which to remedy the
neglect of decades, but some improvement would be seen by the world.  The
alternative? Carry on as before, and let the biggest free-loading officials
eloquently expound on what's wrong with Indian athletes-indifferent to the
ignominy of a billion-strong India, with just one bronze and no hope of
anything more, sinking down the ranking table below eg. Central America's
pint-sized Costa Rica, less than 4-million-strong, with 2 bronzes, and
planning on winning more...
Courtesy: Indiaworld.com



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