Indian Snooker players however are little known in world snooker. This is because we only participate and win IBSF tournaments. IBSF is the governing body of the amateur sport and holds many tournaments. Snooker is a sport with a huge fan following and its professional tournaments which are governed by the WPBSA are a gala affair.  The players usually feature from the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales) with some international players from countries like China, Australia and Canada.

Indian Players Never Make it to the tournaments held by the WPBSA. This is mainly because of the format that the WPBSA uses, It involves players playing a series of tournaments in the UK and amassing ranking points. At the the end of the season, the top 16 ranked players are invited to the World snooker Championship and another 32 are given the chance to qualify for another 16 spots.

Playing, living in the UK is an expensive proposition for our indian snooker players and since our country is famous for not providing our sportsmen and women with support, Not even our top players see it fit to make the shift and move to the UK for a chance to compete in the World Snooker Championships.

What is the point of having quality sportsmen who are billed and the best in the world, if they do not even compete in the World snooker championships. It does not help that these players are affiliated with the IBSF and never turn pro. The difference between a professional and an amateur is that professionals play the game for a living and hence the prize money involved is very high. The winner of the 2009 world snooker championship received a sum of 250,000 pounds sterling (roughly 400325 USD).

More needs to be done by our Indian Govt. and The various Indian Associations for promoting our talent and giving them a chance to earn a decent living playing for professionally. A good way to do that may be to have Scholarships to sponsor our champions to play abroad. There also has to be a balance between IBSF and WPBSA, or atleast the WPBSA holding some ranking tournaments in India. They have recently focussed on discovering talent from China. I hope that one day soon, they will do the same in India, so our champions will become household names throughout the world.

Anand Pawar

I recently had the privilege of talking to Anand Pawar, one of India’s up and coming Badminton stars who has already caused many an upset on the international scene. His answers were both forthright and witty, with a no non-sense attitude that seems to define youth these days.

Anand Pawar

Here are excerpts from that interview.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda : Badminton is one sport that has shown amazing results for India in the recent past. Why do you think that is ?

Anand : There has been a lot of exposure been given to the best batch of players which has been an advantage for us since we get to compete with the best in the world on a regular basis which has made us raise the level of our game accordingly. This, along with the presence of some foreign coaches has changed a few things for the better in the system.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :How did it feel winning your first international event?

Anand :It was fantastic. I had been to a couple of finals in the domestic senior circuit but could never go all the way so it was a great feeling after winning the final in the Austrian International 2008. It was even better when I won the Portugal International 2 weeks later! :-)

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :Is it hard to find sponsors or has it become easy in light of the recent events?

Anand :Things have improved a bit for the game now since Saina and our mixed doubles pair of Jwala / Diju are doing so well and are in the top 10 in the world. There are also, for the first time, 5 mens singles players in the top 50 in the world which seems to be giving Badminton the recognition it deserves in India. Obviously, it could be better to get in some more money into the game. I still feel the prize money in international events is too less compared to other sports.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :Why do you think that we do not produce as many quality athletes as say China or Korea? (Not specific to badminton)

Anand : China and Korea have a totally different system so it is difficult to compare us with them. Kids there are being trained from a very young age while in India a lot of attention is given to the child’s education and sport is always considered secondary. Also, they are much stronger genetically which is an advantage for them later on. Their planned system is also a big plus point for them as their Government is so strict that the athletes have no choice but to follow their bosses. It does not work like that in India.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :What do you think we should do that change that ?

Anand :There has to be some kind of professionalism in Indian sport. As of now everything is in a mess and there is so much politics in every association that it is the players and athletes who suffer. We need a better set up, i.e., better facilities, better gyms, and good physiotherapy and of course the right people to run everything.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :Indians have qualified to play all 5 Olympics badminton events since its induction in 1992, but a medal has eluded us thus far. When will this change?

Anand : Hopefully very soon! :-) Sania got so close at Beijing so it’s shown us that it is not impossible to win a medal at the Olympics. People have been taking more interest after Beijing 2008 after we won a couple of medals and I’m sure that number will increase by London 2012. Probably get one from Badminton as well :)

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :Are you excited about the commonwealth games being held in Delhi in 2010?

Anand : Yes of course! It would be good to play at home in such a big event! Hopefully I’ll qualify for it and get selected.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :Are you hopeful of a medal for India in badminton?

Anand :I’m very sure that we are going to win a few medals in Badminton. We have the right team and the right players.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :Do you think there are enough badminton academies to nurture talent in our country?

Anand : No I don’t think so. Most of the big academies are in the big cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. A lot of players from places far from these cities suffer as they do not get the right training and playing opportunities in their own hometown. They cannot be at these academies as it is too expensive for them to move to the cities. Some academies have to come up in the smaller places as well.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :What other sports apart from badminton do you follow?

Anand :I like watching Cricket and Tennis.

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :What are your plans for the future? What do you see yourself doing after sport?

Anand :I haven’t really thought about it yet. I’d like to be involved with the game in some way but not in the association. :)

Abhinav@SportsKeeda :What are your words of wisdom for young aspiring badminton players?

Anand :It’s important to follow your heart and dream big and work as hard as possible to achieve those dreams and goals. So, even if you don’t get there at least you have the satisfaction that you’ve tried hard and given it your best shot.

On behalf of all our Keedas I’d like to wish Anand the best of luck to qualify for the CFG and go on to win a medal.

There is a lot of negativity about the forthcoming Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi 2010. People are complaining about the cost, The corruption and some even about the impending traffic. I was surprised to see that even among fellow keedas, The excitement level is less than mundane.

So for those who are not elated about the CWG as its affectionately called,  I urge you to think of the big picture. Sure the Games cost us a lot (1.6 Billion according to one keeda), But most of that goes into building world class sports facilities, which after the games will be used by our countrymen, to hone their skills and hopefully win some games.  Finally there will be a hockey pitch with a synthetic surface, that our Indian team can practice on. Future National Games will have a venue to hold events, and our sportsmen and women can only benefit from this.

Another thing to be excited about is that our media, will go crazy about the games. Television rights have already been sold for record breaking sums, and I’m sure that India need only win a few medals, and our media will go GAGA and there will be human interest stories about everyone. Sport will be in the limelight and Politicians will have to take notice.

For those worried about traffic, I will leave you with something my math teacher once told me.  All of us (students) were taught algebra, because one in every thousand would go on to use it and become Abdul Kalam (scientist).

There is no I in TEAM. It is time we make small sacrifices so that WE (Team India) do well and win medals in bunches, not singulars. So please i urge you all. Show support, turn up to the venues. cheer your favorite sportsperson, for we may never get a grander stage to showcase our talent. Our sportsmen and women unlike cricketers hardly ever enjoy a home side advantage, and it is time to show the world how passionate as a population we are about sports.

While this is a good idea for athletics, where selecting the fastest sprinter, or the longest jumper makes sense, the same approach is carried over to other sports. This is how a district football team in Tamil Nadu is selected back when i was in school.

Team Selection

Our school PT master was the manager for the district football team. So he got 4 members of the sixteen member squad that he could pick, no questions asked. The rest were left to the mercy of the coach, who was a Govt school Pt master, and picked 4 of his school patrons and the rest 8 were selected through try outs. I say Try outs but it was more of an Audition. They all showed up, on a specified day. did some drills, nothing with a football, just sprinting, stamina and jumps. and selected on the basis of their performance and height.

He would later reason that taller people can reach the ball faster, and were useful for heading the ball in. Being Tall or fast isn’t particularly useful in football if you don’t have the skill to back it up. I am ashamed to say that our team, picked this way, did reasonably well in the tournament. We lost in the quater-finals of the tournament, thus becoming one of the top eight teams of all the districts of Tamil Nadu. Some of us did even get selected to play for the state, based on our performance in the tournament.

It is a testament to bad selection process that our team did so well. Every other team was selected in a similar manner, and this is exactly why we don’t produce nearly as many quality athletes as a nation with our population should.  Many athletes are sidelined because of height or social stigma and never make it into district teams because 5 people can run 100 meters faster than him. Skill is not even a consideration . The 4 people picked by our coach (from his school) were in my opinion the best members of our team. but that is not saying much is it?

I have long since maintained that Sport has to grow at a grass root level for India to become a sporting giant.  I hope that one day,  in the not so far in the future, we will be counting our olympic gold medals in three digits instead of one.

Rivalries are to sports what illegitimate children and affairs to soap operas. They may not be the driving force, but they provide the spice. So in that spirit I would like to propose A Sub-continent Cup. An Assortment of Games held in one of the three or (four if you count Bangladesh) countries in the sub-continent. A mini-SAF games without the other countries.

The reason I advocate for just the three(or four) countries is because unlike China or Korea or even Japan the only sport we thrive at it circket. We already have the dynamics of cricket rivalries to build on. India and Pakistan the two great nations, Sri Lanka a tiny Island that can hold its own and Bangladesh the underdog, not to be written off.

It would be great to see these nations dole it out on the field, playing for honour, and Peace and most of all bragging rights. Now i know some of you will think that the media will just wave this off and it will get attention for about 2 seconds and then die, so here is the piece du resistance. Include cricket also. No b grade under 19 team but the actual Indian Cricket team.

The BCCI is always boasting that they do so much to improve other sports in India. It will give them a chance to put their money where their mouth is. The Charm of course will be that the sportsman are all from each country. A football match will have 11 indians pitted against 11 pakistanis  and no imports from brazil with tongue twisters for names.

And last but not least, there should be a grand prize. The over all winner gets to host the following Sub-continent cup. Hopefully sport tourism will also take off as fans will travel to the host country to support their favourite team.

Two of the four countries mentioned above are plagued with civil unrest and war. This idea may not be possible now as none of us want to see more sportsmen get shot at. But one day, in the not so far future I hope that sub continent cup will not just be a dream and will be the biggest sporting extravaganza our country has ever known, and that is a dream my friends, worth not waking up for.

Sure it is available to everyone who has a television set, for FREE, but the quality of programming is just bad. As I write this article the ISBF World Snooker Championships are taking place in India. The only channel telecasting it is of course DD Sports. The problem is however, I was watching a frame of someone called Alfie (I kid you not) who made a break of 67. As soon as the frame finished, There was a 20 second commercial about the UGC and then I was watching a women’s tennis match. Don’t get me wrong, I like tennis, a lot but this wasn’t Wimbledon and I was in the middle if watching a snooker match. I watched for 20 seconds and got fed up, changed the channel. About 20 minutes later I turned back to DD sure enough they were telecasting snooker again only it was a different match.

Snooker may not be the most entertaining game to watch, and I don’t even blame them for switching to tennis. What bothers me is If i were watching the tennis match, I’d have to sit through frames of snooker. Now in this day and age, with so many channels fighting for the attention of viewers, how can DD afford to lose the few viewers that do watch?

It is not like Doordharshan is starved for money, the problem is no one cares. Years ago when DD was the only option, The programming was ok. The problem is as years have progressed, the quality has remained the same, if not gotten worse.  Sure DD is no BBC, but why is that ?

They are both run by the State. The thing about the BBC is that it’s not free. You have to pay a subscription charge, which makes them accountable. Something that DD lacks. Another thing about the BBC is that it is run by people who understand the taste and need of their viewers. Watching a snooker match on the BBC made me realize this. BBC makes it interesting, they use hawk eye, there are replays from different angles; DD, well, it just telecasts the match,  and gets a half baked moron to commentate.

Sure, they pass legislation to telecast cricket matches (sporting events of national importance) , but when it comes to other sports it’s okay to have shoddy programming and zero production value. Why bother right ? Who is going to advertise/ sponsor the ISBF World Snooker Championships right?

I hope that our politicians stand up and take note of all the inherent problems facing Doordharshan. It is still the only option for many Indians living in rural areas. Interest in Sport has to be generated at a grass root level, and that is the only way we will ever truly be a nation to reckon with, on any sporting field.

For one, cricket has its heroes. Kapil Dev‘s 175 , India beating england in the semi-finals and  vanquishing the mighty 83 West Indies team in the finals. If Bollywood has thought us anything it is that We love the underdog, and we shower glory on any David  who conquers his Golaith how ever ill deserved it might be (the first T-20 world cup ).

Tennis became a fashionable sport after the entry of Paes and Bhupathy winning the double title at wimbledon and Sania mirza picking up ATP titles.

The other great reason for Cricket is MONEY. Its a gold mine to invest in. Whenever there is an ODI or more recently a T-20 match, Everybody knows there are going to be Millions of eyes glued to the channel telecasting the match. Every News channel is telecasting the score, atleast if India is playing.

Last but not least there is a following. People like cricket. Some may like to play it, Some may like to watch it and some just watch because thats what everybody else is doing. With the advent of DTH programming I am glad to see that Football specially The EPL is garnering interest like never before.

Unfortunately Football will not be numero uno in my life time. Why You may ask, It has the following, but it does not have the Money or the Heroes.

One way to get money and more interest is to allow gambling on sports. A Man U fan may want Man U to win just coz he lives in manchester, but he’ll want it to win even more if he’s put down a fiver on them to beat Southhall united LOL ..

Gambling has its downs, Like the match fixing Fiasco that Indian Cricket went though, but if done right, overseen by the Govt, with strict rules (made legal and taxed), It can garner a lot of interest and a lot more money, and maybe someday a sport as obscure as Snooker can have a 10 lakh Rs prize, And hopefully with money and interest our heroes will not be far behing