[1]India have cause for optimism to improve their Olympic tally but Tamil Nadu will not have anything to claim credit for the country’s success at London.
Only three athletes from the state have qualified for the greatest sports show on earth and one of them, Rushmi Chakravarthy, should be grateful to the International Tennis Federation’s generosity for getting a wild card in doubles with Sania Mirza.
The other two, hockey goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh and triple-jumper Renjith Maheswary, were raised in Kerala before jobs with IOB and Southern Railway brought them to Chennai. Tamil Nadu’s Olympic cupboard is so bare that they may have to stake claims to Navy man Sanjeev Rajput if the rifle shooter wins a medal at London. Rajput is a native of Haryana but he is posted at Coimbatore.
What are the reasons for the state’s Olympic misery? A combination of factors has rendered Tamil Nadu cheerleaders at the grandest sporting party.
Those who follow sports even casually will know the ‘stellar’ role played by associations in promoting their disciplines. The story of state federations in recent years makes for a depressing reading. Vision is something beyond many bodies that will, on the other hand, win Olympic gold in politicking and infighting.
Politics rule hockey, football and basketball
Take the case of hockey, a sport that has a glittering history in the state. The administrators of India’s national game have been involved in such a pitched battle for power that there are few to care for the sport and players.
The formation of Hockey India and the body’s subsequent fight with the IHF for chair in state units has torn the game asunder.
In Tamil Nadu, Chennai is controlled by the IHF while Hockey India appears to have a majority in districts. With the nerve-centre of its activities isolated, hockey in Tamil Nadu is in troubled waters. We are not holding a brief for either side but only reiterating the way the feud is affecting the sport.
The same is the case in football. An ad-hoc body has been managing Chennai’s affairs for the last two years while districts control the state association.
Not resolving the Chennai issue and taking pride in the way the Tamil Nadu Football Association has been functioning will be akin to saying that the operation is a success after the patient had died.
The less said the better about basketball. Tamil Nadu have the potential to become a model state in the hoop game but power-hungry administrators have almost ruined it.
Infighting knock out boxing and archery
Boxing has been in a state of inertia and confusion ever since the Tamil Nadu federation’s secretary Karunakaran was arrested on charges of misbehaviour with a boxer. Nobody knows who is in charge of the state association now.
People who run private academies will tell you heart-rending stories about the plight of young boxers. There was a time when Tamil Nadu used to show the way for others in boxing. These days Tamil Nadu are raising the bar in mismanagement.
Deepika Kumari of Jharkhand is ranked No.1 in the world and many pundits expect her to reach the podium at London but the archer wouldn’t have become a star if she had been born in Tamil Nadu because infighting is a favourite pastime in the archery association.
Shooting is another sport in which India have made giant strides. But the Tamil Nadu shooting association hasn’t done anything on development.
TNAA running backwards
Don’t expect some good news from athletics, as there was no mention about it in the preceding paragraphs.
The problems in the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association (TNAA) don’t come out in the open because its two key office- bearers are police officers. One is a former DGP and another is a current ADGP. Let there be no doubt however: professionalism and foresight have nothing to do with the state athletic body.
The TNAA officials don’t miss a photo opportunity when the state’s junior athletes come back from national events with medals but questions regarding Tamil Nadu’s poor show at the senior level remain unanswered.
Tamil Nadu won only one gold at the 2010 National Games. Age-group meets in India are a big sham. Fudging age is the rule not exception in this country. The real strength of a state becomes evident only through performances in the open category.
Only brave parents will allow their children to take up athletics in Tamil Nadu because there is no glamour for the discipline. Neither does success guarantee rewards in athletics. When K. Prem Kumar of Thanjavur returned home after winning bronze in the long jump at the Asian indoor championship earlier this year, the TNAA didn’t bother to arrange a reception for him.
The state body never showed any urgency to felicitate India’s only medal winner at the prestigious continental championship. The TNAA finally gave a pat on Prem’s back during a function it arranged to celebrate the elevation of some officials to the national athletics body!
If a promising star like Prem is treated so shabbily, how can Tamil Nadu hope to produce Olympians in athletics? Winning an athletic medal at the Olympics is a tall order but qualification to the Games isn’t beyond the state.
SDAT can do better
There is a lot of scope for improvement in the functioning of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. Nobody knows why there is always an inordinate delay in handing out cash rewards guaranteed through a government order to national and international medal winners.
The SDAT’s stock answer is inaction on the part of associations concerned. Everybody knows that the associations are a stumbling block to the development of sports in this country. They are part of the problem, not a solution.
Many sports bodies don’t want to see their athletes become rich and famous. Why should the SDAT wait for a word from the associations when it can ascertain the performances of Tamil Nadu athletes on its own and give them their due?
Why should Prem wait so long to meet the chief minister who has an abiding love for sports? Is it not the duty of the SDAT to bring his achievement to the CM’s notice?
The Tamil Nadu football team reached the final of the Santosh Trophy in May this year after four decades and there is no news yet on the cash prizes stipulated in the government order.
If the sports-loving chief minister comes to know the lack of playgrounds for football in the city, she may order remedial action immediately. It was Ms J. Jayalalithaa who constructed Chennai’s Nehru Stadium in a record time.
Indian Olympic hockey team goalkeeper Sreejesh hasn’t got a single rupee from Tamil Nadu for his achievements in recent times, even though he has been representing the state since 2006. He is hurt that there is no action on his petition to the SDAT.
In a vast country like India, the role of private academies is critical in all sports. But some SDAT officials treat private academies, especially in athletics, as rival bodies. When there is little support for an unglamorous discipline like athletics all over the country, academies that come forward to train youngsters should be encouraged.
The lucrative CM’s Cup in sports such as athletics, basketball, hockey, football, kabaddi and volleyball is a great initiative. But the SDAT hasn’t been able to spell out the criteria for qualification clearly. The event has already been postponed twice and athletes doubt whether it would be conducted at all. The CM’s Cup with its unprecedented prize money can revolutionise sports in TN if it is organised properly.
Points to ponder
Chief minister Jayalalithaa has a vision for sports. That is why she is establishing compact multipurpose indoor stadiums across the state. Before the expiry of her current tenure, Ms Jayalalithaa wants to ensure that each district in the state has an indoor stadium.
The move is praiseworthy because the facility can give a push to sports such as TT, volleyball, basketball, badminton and handball, all Olympic disciplines.
The chief minister has also increased sports quota seats in professional colleges. It will be better if Olympic sports are given preference in admission. Non-Olympic sports must also be encouraged but not at the cost of disciplines that are on the Games’ programme.
Physical education teachers’ posts are lying vacant in many high schools and higher secondary schools in the state. Every success story in sports must start from grassroots and filling up PET vacancies will be a step in the right direction.
The athletic community will be indebted to Ms Jayalalithaa if she orders the payment of pending incentives right away, besides ensuring that there is no delay in the future.
Prominent sportspersons are waiting for an opportunity to take their grievances to the chief minister. They all hope that Ms Jayalalithaa can take forward Tamil Nadu’s Olympic mission.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/goaliejpgcropdisplayjpg-231