Lesser lights shining bright

Clayton Murzello

• Last Updated: November 10. 2009 9:07PM UAE / November 10. 2009 5:07PM GMT

It took an Olympic gold for Abhinav Bindra to find recognition in the sporting press of India. Sergey Ponomarev / AP

What a refreshing change it made for sports stars other than the country’s cricketers to be honoured with national awards this week.

It was a rare treat that for once the judges took a broader view than just looking at the national game.

So take a bow Abhinav Bindra and MC Mary Kom, who have won the Sahara Indian Sports Awards.

Bindra became India’s first Olympic gold medallist when he won the 10-metre air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Games, while the mother-of-two Kom is the world amateur boxing champion.

Journalists can get very cynical about corporations like Sahara getting involved in sports. But so what if firms look to squeeze mileage out of the rupees they put in. It’s their money at the end of the day. What should matter is whether the sport and its practitioners actually gain in terms of financial rewards and recognition.

I attended the launch of these awards a few weeks ago and heard some apt comments from the stage. One of the organisers spoke about how the government authorities provide the required Floor Space Index to build malls across the country, but when it comes to building sporting infrastructure, it is nothing short of a struggle. “If we don’t have stadia, we won’t produce sportspersons. If we don’t produce sportspersons, they won’t be heroes,” he said. Simple logic but the words are pertinent and now we have two heroes to be proud of.

The media was reminded of their ‘sins’ too – giving far less space to any non-cricket event despite a spate of high level performances.

A segment of the launch function included a question and answer session with a jury which included cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, chess champion Pravin Thipsay, Nandan Bal of Davis Cup fame and footballer IM Vijayan. It was sad to see that the media had no questions for those achievers except Gavaskar. Thipsay, Bal and IM Vijayan were reduced to a supporting cast – much to their embarrassment, as well as ours.

It not only showed how ignorant the Indian media is, but insensitive too. Non-cricket Indian sports stars have punched well above their weight over the last 14 months. In addition to the performances by the two winners their achievements include a bronze medal in Beijing and at the World Championships courtesy of the boxer Vijender Singh, a billiards world championship title from Pankaj Advani and the rise of Saina Nehwal in the game of badminton. All these achievements in spite of a lack of recognition, facilities, role models and rewards.

Quietly yet convincingly, India’s golfers are enhancing their reputation on tours which matter, too. To see four Indians (Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa Gaganjeet Bhullar and Chinnaswamy Muniyappa) parading their skills at the Shanghai Open at the weekend should have given golf lovers a sporting capstone. But did their presence send out a positive message to our impotent sporting bosses? I don’t think so. India’s golfing stalwarts are professional and should be recognised as such. Their success is enough reason for the sport to receive more prominence at grassroots.

Muniyappa has had the most humble of beginnings. It’s reported that he often caddied for one rupee during his childhood. What probably adds more drama to this rags to riches tale is that he won India’s biggest golf event, and US$198,125 (Dh727,723) with it, before a top 20 finish at the Brunei Open.

Most recently, he was rubbing shoulders with more illustrious company at the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai in the form of the world No 1 Tiger Woods. Young sporting hopefuls looking for inspiration should read up more about Muniyappa. In the build-up to Shanghai, he said: “My dream has always been to play with Tiger. I can’t imagine that I’m going to be in the same event with him. Last year, I was watching the big events on TV and I saw Jeev (Singh) winning in Singapore. I asked myself when will I have the chance to play in such big events and I worked really hard. Now, I’m here.”

There are plenty of examples of ambition and endeavouring among many aspiring athletes in India. To merely say badminton player Nehwal is another star on the horizon does not do full justice to her immense potential. She’s got a terrific attitude, too. After losing in the quarter-finals at the Beijing Olympics last year, Nehwal was completely distraught.

Before returning to her room, coach Pullela Gopichand announced an early-morning training session. A lesser fallen-to-pieces person would have ignored the call. Instead, she asked for only one more hour of sleep and was at the training court the next morning. After becoming the youngest player to win an elite professional badminton title, the Indonesian Open in June, sleep escaped the excited Nehwal.

But, showing a maturity beyond her years, she was up for training the following day at 5.30am. Nehwal is now ranked sixth in the world. The sky’s the limit for her according to India’s badminton fraternity.

These are a few of the brave hearts in Indian sport these days and they need encouragement, support and funding. To usher in a more vibrant presence on the world sporting scene, Indian sports administration has to wake up and smell the coffee. Corporations and sponsors will only be moved to be associated with non-cricketing entities if there is added value attached to it. Everybody loves a big winner and India has many who are definitely capable of reaching the most dizzying heights of their sport. What they need at this stage is for officials, government and sponsors to give them support.

Clayton Murzello is the Group Sports Editor of the Indian newspaper MiD DAY



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