Sports are an integral part of education. They are often seen as just an afterthought though. All work and no play makes Jack climb the beanstalk. Conventional wisdom may state that paying attention to sports results in students mixing up their studies and metaphors and make Jack a dull boy who would have been better off climbing the corporate ladder than the beanstalk.

Chinese tennis player Li Na’s coach recently made a statement that her deteriorating performance could be attributed to her lack of formal education. Quite a startling thing to say, if you’d ask me. What is the correlation between sports and education? How important or interdependent is one of the other? Does such an interdependence even exist?

Sports Minister, Ajay Maken, recently announced in his draft on national physical fitness program for school children that physical education will be made a compulsory subject in schools and that students would be graded as per their levels of fitness. One could argue that in order to become a professional sportsperson, there is no need to learn the lessons of history, mathematics, chemistry, the sciences or any other matter closely related to text books at all. What do these things have to do with winning an Olympic gold medal? However, for an Indian, making a profession out of sports (unless you’re a cricketer that is) is highly unrealistic. Everyone wants to have a back up plan. And that back up plan is history, mathematics, the sciences and all the other matter we find in those very text books.

One could also argue then that giving special focus to sports in schools would take away the child’s attention from his or her studies. The child will be distracted and tired and that would have a negative impact on his or her concentration levels and result in falling grades. This, however, is far from the truth, and brings us back to the start of the article. Remember Jack? What we tend to forget is that sports provide children with a skill set that is going to serve them for life. A well developed sports program focuses on the overall upliftment of the child, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Here’s the thing though. Even superstar athletes can gain from the classroom just as much as everyday kids gain out of it. Education is not just a backup plan. It’s what makes a sportsperson capable of making the most of his or her talent on and off the field.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in seeing with new eyes”

While the prevailing argument in favour of education over sports is that only a few make it to the very top in sports, it is precisely for those few that it’s important to be well educated. Acknowledging the above mentioned virtues of sports, if a sportsperson devotes all of his/her time, to the exclusion of all else, to the pursuit of perfection on field, that is not an ideal scenario for the athlete.

The case of Li Na seems outrageous, since she is a proven winner. But there are countless burnouts who skate by their talent in sports and don’t find the need to acquire the life skills and knowledge which will enable them to maximize their gifts. What a rigorous school program does is it hammers your head into shape for dealing with real life. Even though algebra may not have any practical use which a quarterback can imagine, neither do pushups or situps in game situations. Those are simply tools to train the athlete to be better prepared for excelling in the sport. In the same way, every time we think “Oh how will (a+b)2= a2 +2ab +b2 ever help me in life?”, we need to understand that such formulae are just tools to improve your mind. If you don’t end up becoming a engineer or in any profession where that can be useful, it will still serve its purpose in having sharpened the gray matter, which is what drives the body.

Education prepares athletes to live their lives off the field, and can have a very pivotal role on the field too.

Take the case of Allen Iverson. His name is synonymous with crossovers. The best handles the game has ever seen, hands down. It’s a little known fact, though, that he didn’t learn the crossover until he was in college, when a teammate taught it to him. He didn’t get into college without his talent on the court; even then he was a show to be reckoned with. But that couldn’t have lasted in the NBA on its own. He could get by on his physical talent against school opponents, but without the crossover it’s hard to imagine Allen having much success in the league.

Allen was wrongfully jailed as a teenager and had to take backup classes when he graduated. His high school coach Dennis Kozlowski turned him on to the book “Psychocybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz. Later the coach recalled that ”Allen took psychocybernetics to a new level”. Iverson would be speaking to him, looking up at him, while kneeling and tying his shoe. “See that,” Kozlowski said. “See how you didn’t have to look at yourself tying your shoe? See how you didn’t even have to think about it? I want you to play like you just tied your shoelaces – automatically. The way you do that is by having an image in your mind of what you do before you do it.”

Iverson doesn’t like to talk about how he does what he does on the basketball court. “I just do it,” he says. Partially, like any artist, he is wary of overanalyzing his gift. Terry Royster, Allen Iverson’s then bodyguard talks about it: “Let me tell you about Allen’s workouts. All the time I have been with him, I never seen him lift a weight or stand there and shoot jumper after jumper. Instead, we’ll be on our way to the game and he’ll be quiet as hell. Finally, he’ll say, ‘You know now I usually cross my man over and take it into the lane and pull up? Well, tonight I’m gonna cross him over and then take a step back and fade away. I’m gonna kill ‘em with it all night long.’ And damned if he didn’t do just that. See, that’s his workout: when he’s just sitting there, thinking. That’s him working on his game.”

One book about visualization and mental gymnastics turned a 6 foot bee into one with a killer sting. It let him adapt his game for the big leagues. No matter how good you are on the field, there’s always room for you to improve on and off of it through education.

“The 10th edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon will be open to runners who had participated in two previous marathons organized by Association of International Marathons and Distant Races (AIMS). There will be 250 places in the full marathon and 1000 in the half reserved for women. Applicants who don’t fall under the quota can avail of the spots allotted to the NGs registered with United Way of Mumbai, the official charity partner.”

To sum up, the race is closed to first timers unless they pay extra for a NGO sponsored spot or if they fall in the women’s reserved slot. Is that fair? It must be or it wouldn’t be done, right? Here are two point of views on that:

Siddarth: The Mumbai Marathon is one of the richest races in Asia. The participants numbered over 38800 last year. This time around that number might be lessened.

Zeba: Apart from being the richest, it is also the most competitive race in Asia, with participation from some of the most elite National and International athletes. Not only that, the meet also serves as a benchmark event for qualifications to other major International marathons like Boston Marathon and New York Marathon.

Siddarth: Be that as it may, it has also been one of the races which show that Indians are willing to go out in good numbers and run marathons as one. While it serves an important purpose from a competitive standpoint for our athletes to qualify, it is a race of the people and now that seems to be changing. Have you heard the latest? You need to  have a certificate from a AIMS race to participate! That rules out first timers. Oh wait, no they can still participate, provided they buy the higher priced running slots from NGOs! Or if they are among the lucky women who have 250 slots reserved in the full marathon and 1000 in the half. Talk about reverse discrimination.

Zeba: As organizers of the largest athletic event in the country, it is only fair that the number of participants in the full and half marathon categories are restricted. We Indians, and especially us Mumbaikars, are a bunch of over enthusiastic people who are looking for every opportunity to come out on the streets and be a part of a mega event that also gives us a chance to hob nob with the rich and the famous. Nothing wrong with that, but just imagine the chaos on the streets had the marathon been open to the 1 billion plus population of our country! Having said that, the 10 km run is open for the general public. That qualifies for a distance run.

Siddarth: 10k is so not a distance run if you want to run a marathon.

Zeba: By limiting the entries to people who have competed in the 24 months preceding the marathon not only are we ensuring the highest level of competition, but are also providing the existing participants with a much better race experience. I suggest you visit the AIMS website to check if 10 km is a distance run or not. But that’s not the point.

Siddarth: Ok, of the 1895 runners who participated in the full marathon last year, 66.9% of those finished the race. Total 1442 finishers. I was one of them. I didn’t have a certificate before. Only 16.2% of the total runners in the open category finished in under 4 hours. I finished in 3:31. If there was such a restriction, I would not have been able to participate without shelling out a couple grand to the NGOs. I enquired last year with the NGOs, some were selling at 4-8k with a few weeks to go for the race. Which is what bothers me about it. It’s a transparent money grab by the NGOs, even if they are raising money for charity. This doesn’t justify the means. If the point of this restriction is to ensure higher level of competition, then the NGO’s shouldn’t be holding spots in the first place.

They have been squatting on the race spots for years and auctioning them off. It sounds low to accuse NGOs of this and what is happening here is a good middle ground to allow the race to be more open, but it would be fair if this had happened to open up a restricted race to the public, instead of doing it as a consolation to the public. While the NGO’s serve a great cause, something like a marathon does too. It allows you to push your limits and know that there aren’t any limits. I was among the top 200 finishers including the elite. Last marathon I had run was the Airtel Kolkata Marathon which didn’t award a certificate for my 4:30 finish at that time. While I can luckily afford to buy a spot from an NGO, there are a lot of kids who are underprivileged and want to participate in something like this. The door is effectively shut for them.

Zeba: If you think about it, this step from the organizer’s point of view, works exceptionally well with the NGO’s. It provides the much needed boost to the corporate sector to raise funds for the various charities that there are. Say there is an athlete who is exceptionally talented and, for whatever reason, has not been able to fulfill the criteria for participation in the full or half marathons. It provides the corporates with an excellent opportunity to sponsor such an athlete and raise awareness about a particular NGO thereby contributing to the funds of the same.

Siddarth: Yes, but it leaves out those who aren’t exceptionally talented but want to run to push their limits and for the realization that if they can do a distance like 42.195 km in under 4 hours, there isn’t much they shouldn’t be able to do in life. I’m by no means opposed to the NGO’s making whatever they can, but this race ought not to be used for such.

____________________

What do you think? Is this step by the organizers justified?

(For past reference:)
http://runinfinity.com/race/mumbai-marathon/statistics

Going once…going twice…Gone! To India

What’s your initial reaction to imagining that India has made a winning bid for the Olympic games? Is it one of elation and pride? Or does your stomach drop in dismay at the prospect of the hole in our wallet such a bid would make? Does memory jog back to the time when the games were a means to please Gods? In a country as religious as India, that should be an appealing theme. The origin of the Olympic games dates back to over 3000 years ago. In those days, sports were more than a platform for physical competition. The Greeks used the Games to honour their God, Zeus. Such was the extent of the inter-dependence of sport and religion that there was no religious festival in Greece without a sports meet.

Or does memory jog back to the CWG? Does the bidding process happen as pictured above? It would be something if so. Imagine the sacks of money being thrown towards the podium to sway the hammer. If hosting the games is something for which people may be prepared to shell out obscene amounts of money, shouldn’t it be a no-brainer whether it ought to be done or not?

Here’s an answer to all that and more.

While the Olympics have been around for centuries, the revival of the modern Olympics, can be attributed to Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s desire to improve the image of his country. Born in Paris, he was ashamed by his country’s defeat in Franco- Prussian war of 1870-71. He believed that the nation had been humiliated because of an “effeminate, non-sporting, excessively intellectual French population”. Sport, he believed, was a perfect vehicle to salvage France’s pre-eminent position in Europe. He was convinced that the sports ethics taught in the English elite private schools alone would lead to Britain’ s success as a world of superpower, leading him to initiate action towards developing the Olympics. He was the founder of the International Olympic Committee.

However, over the years, the Olympic games have taken a whole new dimension with regards to how they influence the lives of not only the participants, but also of the general public at large. Earlier, Olympics tended to focus more on the social and physical aspect of sport. In today’s day and age, sport tells a different story. There is one more important aspect of it which deserves a mention while talking about the goals of the Olympic Games- the economic aspect. With the kind of money spent on the Games by the host nations and the bidding wars that go on for years running up to the Games, it is only fair that this area be given utmost attention. Although sponsorships for such games have been around for ages, watching Spartacus and such would give us an idea of rich men looking to advance their stature through these games. Today there’s a lot more hinging on the Olympics for the host.

How is the host selected? Here’s the simplified 3 step International Bid Process for selecting Sites for Games

- 10 years before a particular Olympic Games, IOC sends a circular to all National Olympic Committees inviting them to present candidate cities.

- Approximately 8.5 years before the Games, a city wishing to bid must officially present it’s candidature to IOC .

- Approximately 7 years before the Games, IOC selects the host city.

That is overly simplified. The countries are visited by representatives of the IOC and their capacity to be the host is judged in detail. All that is a far cry from the auction picture pictured above.

The benefits of hosting the Olympic Games, both short and long term are enormous. The fact that it reaches out to over two third of the world’s population is maybe what makes the Olympic Games the biggest public relations and advertising phenomenon that there is today. No wonder then, that the 2012 Olympics was the most coveted brand after Apple.

Improved infrastructure, better transport facilities, world class stadiums, employment opportunities for millions, beautification of cities, increased tourism, building of better homes, are just some of the benefits accrued from hosting the Games. For the sake of playing devil’s advocate here, the argument that there are better ways to invest the tax payers’ money than hosting an event of that big a scale also holds true. Economic benefits, after all, are not guaranteed and there is a huge risk factor involved. For instance, Montreal had to pay off a debt of $2.7 billion after the 1976 Games. The debt was finally paid off in 2005, 29 years after the event was conducted!

But then again, look at what the Games did for Beijing. Beijing, perhaps, speaks of one of the most astounding transformation stories ever! It was an investment that was vastly overdue. It changed the way people viewed the city, not just the Chinese but people all over the world. Beijing set a benchmark for future cities, one that very few will succeed in surpassing. London, in my opinion, came close. Beijing boasted of extravagance and professionalism. China’s economy has received a major take-off since 2001 when it won the right to host the 2008 Olympics. It has become the largest producer and consumer of steel in the world. Major Chinese cities have undergone a massive change in the run-up to the games.

Hosting of Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the ultimate sporting event, Olympics will help India boost its economy as it aid in the setting up of world-class infrastructure. Hosting international sporting events is a huge opportunity for India not only in terms of the country’s reputation but also for building the physical infrastructure like vast stadia, convention centres, hotels, multi-modal transport system and other civic amenities. It also provides a major boost to fundamental sectors like cement, steel, electricity, aviation, hospitality and tourism.

As is a well known fact in a country like ours, unless one is made to work under immense pressure, nothing is achieved. International competitions such as the Olympic Games provide the much needed pressure to complete jobs like building better transport facilities, increase water supply, beautification of the city, cleaning the environment and so on and so forth. The amount spent by the government in large developmental projects can in no way be termed as wasteful expenditure.

A large influx of athletes, journalists, and event spectators during the games plays a part in boosting the tourism in the country. The whole process then leads to massive jobs creation. The rural areas and small towns have also benefited from the money spent on the games.

Of course Greece comes to mind, so does the CWG scam. Well you can use fire to cook food and use it for arson too. What matters is how you use it. While something as vast as the Olympic games is a lot more complex than the simple analogy mentioned, things are only as complicated as we make them.

What do you think? Should India pull tooth and nail for a winning bid?

Nothing wrong with grass roots development, only the word is too damn overused. But yeah, the blatant overthrow of the word only serves to highlight the extreme importance of grass roots development in our country. ‘Catch ‘em young’ is a common theme which may have pedophilic overtones in its wording but is an integral part of development of sports everywhere.

To scout, spot and harness talent to its maximum potential, the earlier said talent is looked at, the better.
According to Adille Sumariwalla, President of Athletics Federation of India, grass roots development is the need of the hour in athletics. He believes that unless focus is not laid on the junior athletes, Indian athletics will see a serious dip in performance in the coming years.” The governments new initiative, OPEX 2020, ought to bear fruits soon. Hopefully by Rio we shall see its results. I hope they start with junior athletics coaching camps. Since the last few years, owing to CWG and Olympics, focus has only been on seniors. The junior program has suffered immensely”. Similar sentiments have been echoed by Vijay Kumar Malhotra, President of the Indian Olympic Association.

There are a lot of shovels at play here to try and unearth the talent from the grassroots. A new initiative is to be undertaken – Marks for Fitness. Under this initiative, students will be awarded marks on the basis of their fitness level, up to a maximum of 3 percent. A commendable initiative, in the wake of the preparations for 2020, one must say. There are a number of other initiatives under taken by the government and organizations alike to focus on grass root development activities across various sports. After the Indian team’s disastrous Olympic outing, Hockey India is planning a development programme for children aged between five to eighteen years. There are a number of other organizations in the country that focus on imparting athletic training to children as young as 3 and 4 years. It is imperative that such programs take off and are supported in a country like ours.

The biggest bane of sports in India has been the lack of a sporting culture amongst the people, especially the younger population. The key objective of the National Sports Policy of 2001 was to instil a sense of national pride amongst the younger generation. According to a recent survey conducted across 6 metros of the country, only 25 per cent of children play outdoors every day. More than 90% of the kids found obese did not play any outdoor activities. An alarming statistic, for a country with a population of 1 billion plus. Alarming, but true. Making the need for grassroots development all the more imperative. We don’t just need to catch the talent at an early age, we need to instill a sports culture which stresses on keeping our kids healthy so they can grow and develop into healthy adults.

If we want to improve sports in the country, one way to do that is by employing physical education teachers who have been sportspersons themselves. They know how to enjoy the sport they are playing, how to train to win competitions, what to eat and what not to eat and so on and so forth. By doing this we are virtually hitting two birds with one stone. Employing ex athletes in the education sector provides the sportspersons with incentives to train and compete as well. They know that they have a job waiting for them. On the other hand, students benefit from receiving education from experienced teachers, one’s who have already been there and done that.

We have debated about this before, whether to scour talent from grassroots or to put focus completely on the top level athletes:
http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/27/should-we-spend-more-on-scouting-or-supporting-olympic-talent/

The government has recognized that its best to stress on the development of talent at grassroots level. The initiatives highlighted above serve to give credence to that. So while the word grassroots is grossly overused, that only serves to highlight the importance of it. So while the word is indeed overused, it is justified.

He always leads from the front. Back in the day he was ahead of the pack, sprinting in front of all towards glory. Today he’s the head of the AFI, the president, pushing the athletics program of our country towards glory. Adille Sumariwala used to be a national level sprinter and he has carried his hard charging attitude towards success to the AFI.

He was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about athletics in India.

Q. How much has athletics progressed in terms of infrastructural development and governmental support since the time you ran?

There has been tremendous improvement in the last 5 to 7 years, especially in funding received for the Commonwealth Games and the London Olympic Games. Initiatives like The Olympic Gold Quest and Mittals Trust have also lent huge support to the government. Progress in athletics over the years has been outstanding thanks to the backing received. This is evident in the number of medals won at the Common wealth Games and also the the number of Indians in the top 15 athletes in the world. I am extremely happy and proud that we manged to secure the 7th place in women’s discuss throw event. Vikas Gowda has made a splash too.

Q. How much have companies like OGQ helped the cause?

OGQ has done an outstanding job in shortlisting the right athletes and supporting them all the way. The federations are doing their bit. However, there is a gap in terms of international level training facilities, coaches, etc. This gap is filled in by OGQ. The best part about OGQ is that it is run by a bunch of people who understand the sport. People like Prakash Padukone and Viren Rasquinha have played sports for years and understand the need of say, an extra coach, or world class training facilities, etc. as they have already been there and done that.

Q. When can India expect an Olympics gold medal in Athletics?

The day is not far when India can expect an Olympic medal in Athletics. There are a couple of things that we need to do with the structure. The recent performance shows that we definitely have the potential to be at the top.

Q. Some athletes have to spend out of their own pocket to cover their expenses. How do you think we can find ways to help them?

Basic expenditure of the athletes is covered by the government. Rs 1 crore was spent on shooters like Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang each. It is absolutely incorrect when people claim that they have spent out of their own pockets. In 2010, the government spent 350 crores on the Commonwealth Games. Organizations like OGQ and Mittals Trust also take care of all the expenditures. If an athlete says that he or she spent out of his or her own pockets, maybe he or she did that for things over and above what the government compensates them for.

Q. Your opinion on shifting the focus on juniors as opposed to seniors?

The problem is that we only want to focus on champions, on medal winners. Barring a few corporates, nobody is ready to invest money on new talent except for the government. The private sector has failed sport. They need to pull up their socks. We do not need money from them. What we need is infrastructural support. For example, if we need an office space, the private sector should provide us with one, staff should be provided, international level coaches should be brought in by them, players tickets and other travel arrangements should be made by them. Today, when people give money to the federations, they do not trust that the money is being spent in the right areas. The federations are then put under the scanner. By directly investing in infrastructure, the private sector can be rest assured that their money is being put to good use. The governments new initiative, OPEX 2020, ought to bear fruits soon. Hopefully by Rio we shall see its results. I hope they start with junior athletics coaching camps. Since the last few years, owing to CWG and Olympics, focus has only been on seniors. The junior program has suffered immensely. A serious dip in performance will take place if we do not concentrate on the juniors.

Q. What can be done about wrong reports by the media which hurt the credibility of our athletes and staff?

The media has created a monster out of the federations. Nothing is ever enough. In this country, there is nothing like satisfaction. It is made out like if I have 2 coaches, I will want 3. Once I have 3 coaches, I will want 2 masseurs. After that I will want a psychologist. After that I will want my wife, and with her I will want my kids. There never is an end to the things we want. It is very easy ripping the federations, the coaches, the players, etc.

Things are blown out of proportion. One needs to first understand the scenario the different subjects under scrutiny are place in, understand what happened. Negative publicity does not help the sport. It just drives sponsors away, thereby jeopardizing the athlete’s careers. Instead of highlighting the athletes, they are constantly putting them down. That is definitely not what the sport needs. A balanced approach is the need of the hour.

With such a driven leadership at the helm, the prospects of our country to achieve our goals at Rio seem good. Let’s hope the vision put forward by Adille Sumariwalla can be realized soon.

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/30/afi-president-adille-sumariwalla-the-day-is-not-far-when-india-can-expect-an-olympic-medal-in-athletics/feed/ 0 048212 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/27/should-we-spend-more-on-scouting-or-supporting-olympic-talent/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/27/should-we-spend-more-on-scouting-or-supporting-olympic-talent/#comments Sun, 26 Aug 2012 19:23:36 +0000 Sprinter Sports http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=648613 Should we spend more on developing top level talent, or spend more on scouting new talent and have a more distributed even spread of resources? Spread the fishnet wide instead of putting all your eggs in one basket and placing your bets on one prize horse. Grassroots development is priority but should it come at the expense of support to the top level talent?

Here’s a look at both sides of the issue:

Siddarth: We are a country of a billion plus. Everyday our numbers grow. And consequently the amount of potential talent around us grows as well. But should we spend more of our time and effort into scouting and developing talent or should we commit our resources towards supporting those who have proven themselves and are ready to reach the pinnacle?

Zeba: We are a country of a billion plus. Surely there is more talent than the current crop of 10 (roughly) athletes who have proven themselves at London. Till we do not look around us, we are never going to know.

Siddarth: Yeah but it should be the responsibility of aspiring talent to improve their level of skills to the point where they can be spotted.

Zeba: The Olympics happen once in every 4 years. Mary kom is 29 now. How long before she calls it quits? We all know sports persons come with a shelf life. The need of the hour is to tap the younger population, for this reason mainly. Give them time to groom, have a long term plan for them. And it is also the responsibility of the federations to scout this talent and develop it further.

Siddarth: You’re right. Scouting and scouring for talent is imperative. I’m saying that we shouldn’t be putting a cap on the amount we spend on our top talent. The Haryana government has promised that a gold medalist will be given Rs. 5 crore, a silver medalist Rs. 3 crore and a bronze medalist Rs. 2 crore

Zeba: Our top talent is only top talent if they continue to perform. Take Saina Nehwal for instance. She is as high as you can get in badminton in the country. Bronze medalist at London. Definite medal prospect at Rio as well. She’s young and has a lot of years to go in the sport. It is Saina Nehwal who has encouraged hundreds of other athletes to take up to badminton. These in turn will be groomed, money will be invested on them, in the quest to produce more Nehwals. It is organizations like the Olympic Gold Quest and Mittals Champions Trust that nurture such talent. Post the London Games, OGQ’s tagline reads as “This Time Four, Next Time Many More.” They are focused on supporting the top level talent.

Siddarth: You’re right Saina is someone who is young and has raised her game to the level that she can inspire others to do the same. Now she and the top medal prospects need a lot of money to maintain their level of performance. Vikas Gowda had to fund his own expenses. Some athletes had to pay for their support staff to accompany them. Its better that we take care of all their needs first, before we spread ourselves too thin in trying to scour for talent.

Zeba: I reiterate. Itis organizations like the Olympic Gold Quest, Mittal’s Champions Trust and others who do that already they look after the needs of the athletes they adopt. And they adopt quite a few.

Siddarth: And yet it isn’t enough. Vikas is a case in point.

Zeba: We have to realize that most of our talent is lying idle in the rural areas. These people do not have the funds to travel to the bigger cities for competitions, or hire personal coaches. They have got to be groomed. And grooming cannot take place unless this talent is identified.

Siddarth: Yeah but that should not take priority over giving complete support to the best athletes.

I’ll give you an example. You found a talented athlete, groomed him, and allowed him to compete at the highest level. But when he got to that level, his progress was hampered by lack of funds. He possess talent but is held back due to lack of funds. We shouldn’t spread our resources so thin that we can’t do the needful for the deserving sportspersons. Yes a lot of athletes are lucky, but a lot of others aren’t. Ok picture this: A stretchable bowl. Picture that in your mind. Can you see it? Now after picturing the bowl, picture talent as fish in a pond. Can you see them swimming around? Ok now if you spread that bowl too thin, then it becomes a sieve and although you are scooping up talent, they still fall through the cracks. You are getting talent but if they don’t receive utmost support then it defeats the purpose of scouting them in the first place.

Zeba: And they are receiving  the support, as they should. The prize money assures that 5 crores is no small amount.

Siddarth: So you concur that it is justified for them to be awarded such high sums.

Zeba: Of course it is. Any person who wins a medal at the Olympic Games deserves a huge sum of money.

Siddarth: My point exactly.

What do you think? Should we spend more on scouting and developing talent or on supporting the top level athletes?

Too much too late?

The primary objective of the National Sports Policy of 2001 was mass participation. The policy aimed at utilizing sports as a tool to instil a sense of national pride among the younger generation. In 2006, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in his review of the policy, said that the biggest bane of Indian sports is the lack of a sporting culture in the country. Six years on, Sports Minister Ajay Maken echoes similar sentiments. A small medal tally at London can be attributed to the fact that a sporting culture has yet not been developed in India. With the Indian mentality being more prone towards academic achievements, parents are shying away from letting their children play sports, not even for leisure let alone professionally.

We started planning for London in 2011. One and a half year prior to the Olympic Games. OPEX 2012 was started in 2011. India managed to get a respectable 6 medals in spite of that. OPEX 2020 has already been launched. As part of the run up to 2020, the government is expecting a grant of Rs 500 crores from the Planning Commission in order to set up sports institutions, produce world class trainers, technicians and sports researchers. We plan to use 2016 Games as a platform for 2020 and hence focus on winning medals at Rio will be considerably less. With these initiatives, amongst others (read corporate backing) in place, one should expect more than the proposed 25 medals. We must concentrate on disciplines such as wrestling, shooting, archery, badminton, boxing as we have already won medals in those sports. We must also concentrate on sports like athletics and cycling since bulk of the Olympics medals are in those sports.

However, one cannot help but ask the question why weren’t these initiatives taken earlier? Training world class coaches, setting up sports institutes, developing infrastructure, etc. We complain about not having good enough nutritionists, researchers, technicians, and so on and so forth, but have we tried to develop the same? Have we, as a nation, attempted to fill the gap that we so tirelessly bicker about?

Everyone’s talking about the Indian medal tally hitting double digits in Rio. Sports minister Ajay Maken believes we are on the path to winning 25 medals at the 2020 games. OPEX 2020 is already underway. With 8 years to go before 2020, lets hope the dream of a double digit medal tally doesn’t remain just that – a dream.

The private sector is skeptical about investing in upcoming sports because they are not sure of their returns. Sports in India cannot develop if the private sector does not invest. It is a vicious circle, unless you try you are never going to find out its value, and corporate sector is hesitant to invest until value is guaranteed. Corporates should be more willing to move out of the tried and tested rut. They should be open to experimenting a little more. Start off with grass roots development. Trust people with passion to make things happen. You never know, you might just hit a jackpot.

The private sector has invested heavily in cricket. There are innumerable sponsors for the IPL. One fact that seems to be lost is that when you have a bucket full of sponsors for one event, its hard to distinguish the importance and contribution of each. But if a corporate sponsors one athlete, and that athlete goes on to perform well at the games, then it’ll be a huge coup for them to have backed a winning horse when no one would have taken a chance at it.

We talk about corporate social responsibility, its not simply a matter of giving your money away. The corporates ought to look at investment in sports as more than just a means to earn medals. It brings pride and glory to a nation to see its heroes become the best in the world at what they do. And being associated with such a achievement can do wonders for the PR of a brand.

But as Maken has said, the corporate sector requires more transparency before it can make a leap into investing in sports. Transparency from our sports federations. BCCI has not been recognized this year by the government, because of its lack of transparency. How can we expect corporates to put in faith if our own government can’t?

Investment for Rio has started pouring in, but with the backing of some of the richest people in the world, our top corporate giants, it will be so much easier to harness the immense potential of a country of a billion. Maken has set a target of 25 medals. But why limit ourselves to that? Anytime you strive to meet a minimum benchmark, you end up doing just that. Why not aim for a medal in every discipline? Absurdly ridiculous, but that’s how we ought to think if we are to become the nation which stands alone at the top of the world when it comes to sporting achievement. Sure, focus your resources where the chances of medals are more likely by all means. Don’t have to do an even spread, but do keep the aim as high as possible.

We are not short of brains, manpower, hunger and determination to be the best in the world. All that’s needed is a medium to channel and harness this immense potential which we are bursting with. And then there’s no telling how high our medal tally can climb in the future.

However, apart from all our blood and sweat, there are a number of external factors beyond our control that play a significant role in how we perform. Weather, timings of the meet, condition of the track, etc. These things, unfortunately, are not in the athletes’ control.

But all athletes have to live with that. They need to adjust to the inconveniences fostered upon them. What is hard to swallow is when the correct procedure isn’t followed and it leads to you losing out through no fault of your own. In a track event, each millisecond can make a difference. You spend weeks planning out your stay in another city, you travel for days, all just to run one minute which can make or break your athletic record. One important aspect that this article aims to highlight is the fact that the most minute of technical errors can lead to the ultimate demise of an individuals’ dreams.

Below is a case study of the 400 meters heats of the 51^st National Athletics Championship held at Kolkata.

Things too small to make a fuss out of can come back to bite you. Even if you had made a fuss it would have made no difference. What happened here was, the runner in the 5th lane, lost out on qualifications by 0.10 of a second. And if it were not for a irregularity in the positioning of the gunman who signals the start of the race, she may have qualified.

The track was wet, so the gunman was not stationed at his usual spot in front of the runners.

Take a look at the picture below. In the picture taken, the football field’s penalty box gives us a frame of reference for measuring the distance between the gunman and the 2nd runner in the pic.

Things to calculate:

Distance between the gunman and the start point of 5th lane.

Distances known to us:

The breadth of the penalty box= 16.4 meter.

Now what I’ve done is measured the penalty box with pixels. In MS Paint when you draw a line, it shows the pixels.
16.4m equals 233 pixels of that image’s resolution

233/16.4=14.207 (conversion factor between pixels and meters)

I’ve drawn another line between the gunman and the runner in the second lane.

It’s 300 pixels between 2nd runner and gun

Applying the conversion factor,  there is a 21.1m gap. That is the distance between the second runner and the gunman, using the pixel scale.<

The gunman is the guy on the bottom left of the pic above.

Now here are the start points of the different lanes, eg lane 2 is 7 meters ahead of the 100m line.
Lane 2 = 407 Meters
Lane 3 = 413M
Lane 4 = 420M
Lane 5 = 427M
Lane 6 = 434M
Lane 7 = 440M
Lane 8 = 447M
http://www.ehow.com/how_6687740_measure-distance-pedometer.html

Now here’s what the info we have looks like.

Distance between gunman and  2nd runner= 21.1m

Start point and 2nd runner= 7 m

Start point and 5th runner= 27m

Gunman———-21.1 m——————– 2nd runner—————————

Start point—- 7 m —-2nd runner

Start point—————————–27m——————5th runner

Distance between Gunman and 5th runner=
Distance between gunman and 2nd runner + distance between Start point and 5th runner – start point and 2nd runner
= 21.1 + 27 – 7

= 41.7

After it stops raining, the temperature rises because water starts to evaporate. The temperature on 10th September was at least 30 degree celcius at noon.

http://weatherspark.com/averages/33920/9/10/Kolkata-Calcutta-West-Bengal-India
Now the temperature has an effect on the speed of sound.

If the temp is 30 degrees celcius the resultant speed of sound is 349.02 m/s.

Now, it’ll take 0.143 seconds for the sound of the gun to travel 50 meters.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-speedsound.htm

To travel 41.7 meters, it takes (41.7/349.6503496503497)= 0.119 seconds.

Time difference between the firing of the gunshot and sound reaching lane 5 was 0.119 seconds

The lane 5 runner missed qualification by 0.1 seconds.

If the gunman was positioned in the correct place, ahead of the curve, the results would have been different.
http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/09/11/51st-national-open-athletics-championships-in-kolkata-day-1/
You sweat and bleed for your one shot. And its thrown away because of a irregularity you can’t do anything about. Imagine how Bolt must have felt after that false start. At least in his case he knew what went wrong. In this case all the athlete can do is bite the bullet and move on.

The above could well be attributed to the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. But how far is it applicable to sports, one may ask? Let’s take a look.

The recently concluded London Olympic Games have more or less been a success for us. From India’s perspective, it was more of a success than Beijing. We managed to win 6 medals this time around, as opposed to the 3 won in 2008, a 100% improvement. An achievement by itself. However, we missed out on a gold at London. Disheartening, when you attempt to compare the two. But do we sit back and think of that moment of joy when the country erupted in delight when Abhinav Bindra won his first gold medal at Beijing or when Gagan Narang won the bronze medal at London? 1 billion people rejoiced, we were a proud lot. For that moment alone, we owe these superstars a huge thank you. Their achievements have touched our lives in more ways than just one.

Saina Nehwal inspired a generation by her bronze medal winning feat, Mary Kom is the perfect idol for all women across the country, Yogeshwar Dutt instilled in every Indian a sense of determination and grit (his swollen eye is testimony to that), Gagan Narang inspired confidence, Abhinav Bindra displayed sheer resolve and strength of mind and Sushil Kumar was the epitome of will power, self belief and strength all rolled into one. Yes, these athletes have touched our lives in a number of ways. And for that, we must be eternally grateful to them.

The important question that arises here, however, is how long before these athletes are pushed back into pages of history and made to remain just there? How long before we forget that these were the heroes who once made us proud, who put the country on the sporting map of the world? Going by the nation’s past record, I don’t give it too much time.

Karnam Malleswari

She has been awarded the Arjuna award and Padma Shri. She hasn’t got her dues as she should have though. A leading publication wrote (and later backtracked and took their comments back) that she drank too much beer and had poor eating habits. Yeah right. Maybe if she had laid off the beer and eaten properly she would have got a Gold instead of a Bronze. This was before she was going to Sydney. After reading that she wasn’t even sure if she would be going to Sydney. Can you imagine having to maintain your composure and concentrate on training while reading such things about you?

Malleswari said “India is not short of talent, but there is no encouragement at all. Let me tell you something really odd. We won only one medal at the Sydney Games. Just one. And I have received nothing from the government. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee called me in Sydney to congratulate me. He said that he wanted to meet me when I got back to India. But there has been no call from his office. The Sports Minister [Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa], who was in Sydney, said I would get a hero’s welcome when we returned, with a ceremony in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. But nothing has happened. Remember this is the only medal that India won at the Olympics.

“It is very strange. The public should explain why they are so crazy about a game like cricket, where there is cheating and match-fixing, but have no interest in an Olympic medal.”

(That’s pretty strange indeed. Check back in a few days for 100 reasons about it, echoing this view)

“People keep asking me why India does not win more medals. It is all very easy to talk about this sitting at big desks in air-conditioned rooms. But winning medals is not as easy. We go into the field. We get injured. We can’t sleep because of the pain. And then when this kind of thing happens (the publicity about the beer and food), we feel bad.”

“I feel bad – this is such a big achievement but there is no recognition. I am happy, though, because I have a good family life and that is enough. I tell myself that every individual has a duty to their country. I did what I could for my country as an Indian.”

She came to terms with the imbalance in give and take between her and her country. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav didn’t get the chance.

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav

He was in the Maharashtra police force for nearly 25 years, there’s a sports ground in that police premises named after him and yet his name isn’t too familiar to all the policemen there.

He was severely critical of the coaches and officials who traveled with him to the Games. ‘They were more interested in shopping and visiting the casinos,’ said Jhadhav in one of his interviews.

‘Yeh log pagal hi honge’. That ad about Olympics rings true. “Pocket Dynamo”, as he was known, must have been mad to keep persisting in his dream. When people who are supposed to support you and pave the way for you plant thrones in your path, it’s easy and sensible to shake your head in disdain at the betrayal and just turn around. Walk away. Those with power to help him along his way failed to realize that he and they are on the same team.

He had to ask all around for funds to help him along his way. That’s the norm even today though. But he came within a point of never even competing in the Olympics where he eventually won a medal.

1952 Helsinki Olympics, he wasn’t deemed good enough. He didn’t qualify. He claimed that the officials intentionally gave him a point less than the winner at the Madras Nationals to rule him out of the Olympics. Good enough reason to hang your head and quit. But he fought as hard off the mat as he did on it. Undeterred by the nepotism, Jadhav appealed to the Maharaja of Patiala. The Maharaja arranged for him to enter in the Olympics trial where he defeated his opponent and went to the Helsinki Games.

He won a bronze medal in bantamweight category. That would be India’s only Olympic medal in an individual category for the next 44 years until Leander Paes won a bronze in 1996.

Why is the first deserving recognition we give to our heroes on their tombstones? One would expect the country to hoist him on their shoulders and parade him around. Oh yeah, all the pomp and ceremony was carried out but that’s all that was done.

His cousin Sampat Rao Jhadav recalls: “There were dhols along with a 151 bullock cart processions right from the outskirts of Goleshwar to the Mahadeva temple which is normally a 15 minute walk. It took seven long hours that day and no one was complaining. We have not seen joyous scenes like that either before or after that day. There was a feeling of pride and every villager was basking in that moment of glory. Khashababhau brought the small village of Goleshwar, earlier a dot on the map, to the fore. The whole world knew and recognised Goleshwar as the village which gave India its first-ever Olympic champion.”

All fitting for one who emerged as the 3rd best at what he does in the world. Sadly that’s all that was done. The chests of the entire town swelled with effusive pride, but the treasure chests remained locked. In 1955 he was listed as a police sub-inspector. He was not promoted for the next 22 years. At the age of 58 he died in a motorcycle accident.

His tombstone may read ‘Here lies Jhadav. He will be remembered.’ 10 years after his death he was remembered and awarded the Chhatrapati Shivaji award. 26 years after his death, in 2010, Sports minister M.S. Gill remembered him again and named the CWG wrestling venue after Jhadav. Would have been nice if he had been recognized and remembered while he was still alive. Hate to go into ifs and buts, but if he was awarded financially maybe he wouldn’t have been riding a motorbike. Maybe he would have been travelling in a car. Maybe he would have been alive to see Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt.

The Indian public at large and the media in particular, have a very short lived memory. We talk about India putting up it’s best ever show at the Olympics, we appreciate the effort put in by the medal winners, we throng them at the airports and bury them under garlands, we talk about them at home, in school, at work, all till a point that another big event takes place (read Indian cricket team beating Bangladesh in a Test series held in India). And our heroes are forgotten. New heroes take their place. And the rest, as they say, is history.

It’s like beating up a prize horse before a big race and then saying “Go horsie! Go win it now. I’ve crippled you and when you get back I’ll bang you around some more, but you better win it all now.”

We want winners, we need to treat them like winners. After they win, they need to be treated like winners. And when they are sweating, bleeding and scrounging money to train to win, they need to be treated as winners in the making.

A national sport is a sport that represents a particular country’s culture. Cricket is England’s national sport, and rightly so. The Englishmen invented the game and it fits perfectly with the British image of a “Gentleman’s” game. It is also Australia’s national sport. The Ashes series played against England and Australia gives the World Cup a run for its money in terms of popularity.

Table tennis is China’s national game. Few paddlers are as quick, nimble and swift like the Chinese. At the London Olympic Games, 55 of the 173 table tennis players were of Chinese descent. Peddlers of Chinese descent play for 23 different countries.

India’s national sport is unofficially hockey.  The Indian hockey team has a storied history but no such laurels to its name to boast of since 1980. At one point, from 1928 – 1980, India was the most dominant field hockey team at the Olympics, winning 11 medals in 12 Games. This included 6 successive gold medals. India’s last medal in hockey came in the year 1980. Since then, Indian hockey has embarked on a massive downturn, one where to hope for a rise might be nothing more than a mere illusion.

Funnily enough, in my opinion, India doesn’t have a national sport even unofficially. Living under the impression that Hockey is our national sport, we never bothered to expand our horizons and wonder if there may be other sports which are more deserving of the title of India’s national sport. Having already covered the reasons why wrestling can be India’s national sport, here we take a look at another candidate for India’s national sport, the simplest sport of all. One which is practised by all Indians, willingly or unwillingly. Running.

We are always running. Running for something. Running away from something. Running towards something.  We have all grown up running. Running is a part of all our lives, whether we realize it or not. And all we need to practice this sport are a pair of shoes. Not even that if you ask some barefoot runners. And there are a number of those out there as well.

Now when we talk about running taking precedence over hockey for the position of national sport, one may wonder how the achievements of India on the track and field are better than hockey. However, caution must be exercised to ensure that this suggestion is not based on achievements alone, but also on the significant part that running plays in all our lives. All our hockey players, would not be hockey players had they not been good enough runners in the first place. Athletics is the basis of all sports. You have got to be a good runner in order to excel at any other sport that requires physical exertion. Sachin Tendulkar did not just become the highest run scorer in the world by virtue of the fours and the sixes he hit. Running between the wickets also had a considerable role to play.

If achievements are to be held as a benchmark, agreed, India’s athletic performance bears no comparison to that of hockey. So much so that Indian athletics could have the distinction of rendering hockey the stalwarts of Indian sport when the two are placed side to side. But this argument could probably hold true only till back in 1980.  As mentioned previously, the hockey team hasn’t won a single medal since then, even failing to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At this year’s London Olympic Games, we didn’t manage a single win and finished at the bottom of the table. Makes one sit back and wonder, amidst all the controversy that surrounded the Indian teams selection for the Olympics, were we better off not qualifying at all?

Athletics on the other hand, has had its share of the limelight at the Olympics time and again, albeit one baby step at a time. At the 1984 Olympics, PT Usha just missed a bronze medal in the 400 mts by 1/100^th of a second and that race is still remembered by all who had the good fortune of witnessing it. Today, her protégé, Tintu Luka, is all set to rule the track in the middle distance events, having just missed making it to the finals of the 800 metres at the London Games. Milkha Singh, the flying Sikh, is another legend who will be remembered till time immemorial. At the 2012 Olympics, India sent a team of 14 athletes, including 6 women and 8 men. Irfan Thodi finished a respectable 10^th in the men’s 20 km walk, but not before ensuring that he set a new National record for the same. Krishna Poonia stood 7^th in the women’s discuss throw event while Vikas Gowda  finished 8^th in the men’s discuss throw. A decent performance by the Indian athletes this time around.

With so much young talent on the rise, Indian athletics is sure to make its mark in the coming years. Athletics has always been looked upon as a poor man’s sport, but it is important to note that this poor man’s sport is the basis for most of the rich man’s sports in the fray. Athletics is the pinnacle event at the Olympic Games, but sadly, the sport does not enjoy as much respect in India as do it’s “wealthier” counterparts, viz., cricket, tennis, etc.

How about it? Do you think running deserves to be the national sport of India?

(Written by Zeba Changi with inputs from Siddarth Sharma)

Do Bollywood stars share their star power by getting involved in sports or are they looking to steal the limelight from the sports stars? That is subjective and depends on the star and context. A convincing argument can be made either way. Here’s a look at both sides of this issue:

Siddarth: Fame is seen as a fickle thing. Something not to be aspired for. Some people have too much of it and are willing to share it for a good cause. Like our Bollywood stars. The Bollywood stars are coming out in full force to support our Olympic stars. An argument can be made if the Bollywood stars are coming and supporting them to piggyback on their popularity (a la Poonam Pandey) or if they are doing so to share their star power.

Zeba: Fame is also an addictive thing. The minute you start getting some of it, you’re inevitably left begging for more. There isn’t anything as too much fame. Fame is something that is just never enough.

Siddarth: So you think that some of our Bollywood stars look at the Olympics as a platform to increase their own visibility?

Zeba: It is also something that we all aspire for. We all want to be famous and why not? Who doesn’t want the world to know their name? Who doesn’t want the world screaming at their feet? Of course our Bollywood stars look at the Olympics, and any other mega event, sporting or otherwise, as a platform to increase their own visibility.

Siddarth: It can be a symbiotic relationship though.

Zeba: I am not saying there is anything wrong in wanting to be famous, but the Olympics is an event for the athletes to be in the limelight. It’s their chance to bask in the glory they so rightly deserve. Why take that away from them? In India, we worship our Bollywood stars. Anywhere they go, everyone and everything else will be overshadowed.

Siddarth: It’s not necessarily taking away. It’s not like Kanye West going ‘Yo Imma let you finish, but lemme share the limelight’ then he bumps them off stage. Bollywood stars are worshipped but they can use that to extend the same aura to the lesser known athletes.

Zeba: We’re the lot that likes the masala and all the gossip that comes with it. Case in point being the infamous tress-passer among the Indian squad at the Opening Ceremony. Madhura Honey is no Bollywood star, but she grabbed more headlines than our Indian contingent themselves. And, once again, sports lost. Point being, wherever you see a Bollywood star, rest assured there’s going to be a lot of masala and a lot of gossip.

Siddarth: I think I’ve put Madhura Honey in her place. Just Google her name and click on the 3rd result. You make a good point in that we choose to focus on the masala, even without a Bollywood star. So let there be masala and gossip, but it can also be about the athletes.

Zeba: So imagine the touch that a Bollywood star would add to it!

Siddarth: Look at Neetu Chandra. She routinely promotes basketball events. She even played in the All star game last year. Yeah, the team lost but that’s a great example of a star using her popularity to popularize a game.

Zeba: Sadly, people aren’t as interested in talking about a Deepika Kumari or Krishna Poonia or even Yogeshwar Dutt for that matter as they are in talking about a Katrina Kaif, or Kareena Kapoor or Shahrukh Khan.

Siddarth: Sad but true. But those stars who tweet their support may be doing good. I have to just hop in your side of the fence for a second. Amitabh Bachhan tweeted that Mary Kom did Assam proud. Ouch. She’s from Manipur. Ok, switching back to my side. Leap. Senior Bachhan has had the dubious honour of getting to carry the Olympic torch. I call it dubious since the torch can be a thing of pride if you are an athlete and a lightening rod of controversy if you are a celebrity. People talk about more deserving candidates who have made a name through their athletic accomplishments. And Amitabh risked that backlash when he chose to carry the torch.

Zeba: Exactly! Why was Amitabh made to carry the torch? What has his contribution to sports been apart from the occasional tweets?

Siddarth: He did help in bringing the event to the spotlight.

Zeba: Amitabh Bachchan is what makes most Indians sit up and take notice, and it’s sad that we had to rely on an actor to get the country to take notice of the Games.

Siddarth: At least his fans in India who are ignorant of the sport knew that Agneepath is burning in London. Maybe Rahul Bose would have been a better choice. He promotes marathons all over India and was a Rugby player too.

Zeba: Going back to the beginning of the conversation, if Bollywood stars were really concerned about the upliftment of sports and the people who participate in them, why not invest a few of the million bucks that they make into the games?

Siddarth: Because a public appearance is of more value to them and is cheaper on the pocket.

Zeba: We all know how deprived Indian sports is of the funds, why not have our stars contribute to its development. Not like it’s going to make a huge hole in their pockets anyway.

Siddarth: There are stars who wholeheartedly try to promote sports, there are those who just make an occasional appearance here and there, and there are those who just want to piggyback on the popularity of the sport.

Zeba: My problem lies with the third kind.

Siddarth: I’m happy with the first, cool with the second and shaking my head at the third.

Zeba: That feeling is mutual.

Siddarth: The first two kinds, even if you dont like them, are a necessary evil to promote the sport through the ‘masala’ exposure.

What do you think? Where do the Bollywood stars stand according to you, sharing or stealing?

There’s a joke about people getting stuck in traffic while they rush to the gym to run on a treadmill, when they could have just run outdoors instead. There are pros and cons on both sides of this coin, running indoors on a treadmill and running outdoors on the road. Yeah running on a 400m track is another option too. But for a long distance runner its preferable to be running from A to B instead of just round and round in a monotonous curve.

On a treadmill that is. And that’s the best! (I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, since both of us prefer running outside)

Z: I love to run too. Running takes me places. Literally. No I do not run on a treadmill. Running in one place for hours on end is just not my thing.

 

S: You heard about the man who was advised by his doc to take up running?

Z: What about him?

 

S: I dunno. Me neither. He was never found. He kept running and he didn’t realize where he was after 10 days. Never seen or heard from again. Poor idiot just kept running. It’s a jungle out there! Where can you run?

Z: That’s the fun of it. You don’t know where you’re going but you just keep going.

 

S: So you just wake up, put on your shoes and start running in a random direction?

Z: Not when I know where I’m headed. Which I usually do. How amazing is it to explore different routes, go to places you’ve never been to before, see things you’ve never seen before, while keeping yourself fit at the same time. My sympathies to the man who’s been lost for 10 day. He should have known better than that.

 

S: As amazing as the probability of not getting rear ended by a car, chased by a dog, or being accused of fleeing a scene of crime. Run on the roads! Wham! Hit by a car. Run on the tracks! Apply brakes, there are oblivious slowpokes in front of you

Z: Heard of pavements?

 

S: Yeah, heard of hawkers? Anyway the main reason why I prefer running indoors, is the weather.

Z: At 6 am, trust me, there aren’t too many of those. An air conditioned gym you mean?

 

S: Yeah. And on a treadmill you can run anytime, not just 6am. But the main issue I have is the weather.

Z: As opposed to the lovely wind blowing outside on a rainy day, or watching the first rays of the sun hit you on a summer morning.

Or even for that matter the cool breeze in the air on a chilly evening.
 

S: Catch a cold or a heat stroke? If those are the choices I’ll remain in bed.

Z: Or morning. Worse than sweating it out in an air conditioned room?
 

S: Its safe. You don’t get mugged or hit by vehiceles. Plus safe for your legs. Another main factor in its favour, lesser pressure on the knee joints.

Z: Hence running on the roads is an activity only meant for 12 year olds and up.
 

S: Ok forget the vehicle part, but you have to concede the safety of the knees, on soft treadmill vs pavement.

Z: And if you can’t save yourself from vehicles on the road, then I think its just best you stay in bed.

S: Yeah, or run on a treadmill.

While there are some very obvious pros of running outside, running on the treadmill also may have its own set of benefits that come along with it. For instance, it saves you the effort of actually getting out of your comfort zone, if you have a gym at home or in the office that is. Or even if you have one close by. Running on a treadmill also adds the “cool” factor to your workout. People these days think running on the road is passé, imagine what a bunch of strangers on the road would think if they saw me running! Thats how a typical teenager today would think.

Sure, running on the treadmill is more comfortable as issues of weather and traffic are completely ruled out. Stormy weather outside would in no way be detrimental to your workout as opposed to running on the road. Also, the different profiles that you can chose from on the treadmill could make your workout less monotonous (than it already is) and suit your demands of training.

Having said the above, it is, however, important to note that it is a scientific fact that running outside does burn more calories than running on a treadmill. Treadmill running is a little less challenging than road running. Apart from the obvious benefits of running outdoors like acclimatizing yourself to different weather conditions, getting used to running on different surfaces, exploring different routes, being one with nature, etc., road running acts as a greater benefactor as the wind outside provides the resistance to the runner which is not available on the treadmill. Also, the treadmill belt also acts as a catalyst to the runner, requiring him to expend lesser energy to drive his weight forward.

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/14/debate-treadmill-vs-outdoor-running/feed/ 0 01505 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/14/why-cycling-is-frowned-upon-in-india/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/14/why-cycling-is-frowned-upon-in-india/#comments Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:12:13 +0000 Sprinter Sports http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=597475

Cycling is fun. Cycling is easy. And I say that in spite of the fact that when I got onto a bike for the first time after about 10 years, I couldn’t get to 1 meter! And they say it’s something you never forget once you learn! It used to be a sport I knew nothing about till 6 months ago. Suddenly today it’s the only language I speak, apart from athletics that is. So, truth be told, its pretty amazing to be writing about something you knew nothing of till recently.

While interning at an event management company that conducts cycling events in the country, I was pretty amazed to see the kind of passion that people had for cycling. I was also a little disappointed at how very neglected the sport is in our country. I mean the passion is there, the talent is there, the interest is there, so really what is stopping us? Many people still look at cycling as downmarket and cheap. Something only meant for the “lower classes” to indulge in. For the crème de la crème of our society, nothing short of a BMW works (have they tried the BMX, maybe? It’s really not that bad!). But all this talk is nothing short of absolute nonsense. Wait till you actually delve into reality and you’ll know what is good and what is not.

We try to ape the west in practically everything that we do. Be it the way they dress, talk, walk, live, earn, spend, eat, cook or whatever. But do we know that Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, is the most cycling friendly city in the world? That people prefer going places on their cycles instead of their big cars. Or that even the mayor of London and for that matter our movie stars whom we have idolized since childhood get out on their bikes and ride from place to place! Maybe hard to believe, but its true! In the west, it’s not about the number of cars you own, or the Mercedes or the Audi or the Ferrari. It’s about which cycle you own, if at all such a perception amongst them exists.

Cut to India. Here all we think about is our image on the streets. What people would think or not think of us if we did or did not do a particular thing. And act or behave in a particular manner. We live our lives on the basis of how we expect others expect us to.  This whole expectation fracas then forces us to do things we don’t really like or enjoy. And that is taking a positive look at the situation, however ironical that may sound. I would think it stops us from doing the things we actually enjoy. And what could be worse than that?

So here’s some food for thought. Most of us have grown up with a cycle, fortunately or unfortunately. At that time, we adored our cycle, would fight at home to take it for just one ride, we would look for every opportunity to show it off to our friends. So today, when we’re all grown up and reasonably well known in society, why the change in attitude towards the once most revered possession in your growing up years? The more research I carry out on cycling the more intrigued I get from the initiatives taken by countries abroad to develop cycling, as a means for a better lifestyle, as a sport and as a fun activity. High time India took a cue, isn’t it?

Here’s a fun way to make cycling look even cooler: Tie it in with running!

http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/14/race-in-our-metros-bmx-vs-runner-new-sport/

(Written by Zeba Changi)

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/14/why-cycling-is-frowned-upon-in-india/feed/ 3 341511 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/13/the-real-dream-team-44-olympic-wins-no-respect-for-womens-basketball-team/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/13/the-real-dream-team-44-olympic-wins-no-respect-for-womens-basketball-team/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2012 04:37:55 +0000 Sprinter Sports http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=590091

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 11: (L-R) Lindsay Whalen #4, Seimone Augustus #5, Sue Bird #6 and Maya Moore #7 of United States celebrate with their medals during the medal ceremony.

The USA women’s basketball team hasn’t lost a match for a long time. They have won 44 consecutive Olympic games and in spite of that they do not get the respect they deserve. Are people tired of watching their country win? How do you explain this attitude of the Americans towards their country? Does the team need to lose in order to get the respect they deserve? Is a defeat the need of the hour for them?

The USA men’s team is full of stars, and also, appropriately, full of itself. You have to be. You have to see yourself as invincible to be invincible. It seems absurd to think that this Dream Team’s caliber can be one-upped.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – consistency insulates you to greatness. When you play a video game in God mode, the challenge goes out of the window. The USA women’s team has won 44 straight Olympic games and the media attention which they are getting is a tithe of what they deserve or would have gotten otherwise.

Last season the San Antonio Spurs went on a historic winning streak, of 22 consecutive games. They took the entire basketball community in USA by storm. There were raves about this anomaly of consistency which coach Popovic and Co were able to pull together. It brought to light the difficulties of having to travel and at the same time win so many away games, back-to-back games, etc. So having a 20-something win streak is something to be proud of.

Apparently not. Not if you ask Cadance Parker, Maya Moore and Co. Heard of them? They are part of the USA women’s team which has won 44 straight Olympic games.

Here’s a title of the kind of articles being written about them:

America’s most dominant team? Women’s basketball, even as the country ignores it

Try this right away, open a new tab or if you’re still using Internet Explorer upgrade to Chrome or Firefox and open a new tab. Go to Google. Type this:

“win streak usa basketball Olympics”

The first page of results today does not even mention the men’s team. It’s all about the women’s team. Yet they aren’t getting the respect they deserve.

“Road to Respect.” That’s the slogan put on t-shirts placed in the women’s team lockers.

“I thought, ‘You know what, that’s kinda dumb, we have one slogan: Earn the respect of your teammates, coaching staff and opponent. Other than that, I could not care less if anyone else respects what we do.”- USA coach Geno Auriemma.

There are a couple of possible issues to address here to understand why the accomplishments of the women’s basketball team are being overlooked.

- The USA women’s basketball isn’t getting the respect it deserves because they are being overshadowed by the men’s team.
- No respect since they are expected to win all the time and their opponents just roll over for them.
- Or the third, main reason I’m about to highlight, perspective error.

The casual NBA fan may go “It’s the women’s team! The men’s team deserves more respect, since they dunk all over the opposition.” But it’s a little deeper than that.

There’s a wide disparity in the income levels of an NBA and a WNBA player. In the NBA, the league minimum is about half a million dollars. In contrast, the WNBA maximum salary for a veteran player in 2010 is $101,000, one fifth of the NBA league minimum.

Okay, that part I have no objection to. League salaries depend directly on the revenue earned. The NBA adjusts the salary cap every year based on the revenue generated in the previous year. Revenue is generated primarily through broadcast rights, ticket and merchandise sales. The point being that the more popular a league is, the more money will it make. The NBA is way more popular than WNBA. The NBA players earn more money for their league. So they get paid more. It has nothing to do with gender discrimination, unless you count the fact that people choose not to watch the WNBA over the NBA as evidence of gender discrimination.

The issue here is that people are taking their perception of WNBA, how it’s an inferior brand to the NBA, and then fostering that perception on the USA women’s team. And that is just ridiculous.

In this Olympics, their average margin of victory was 34.4 points. The closest game was 86-73 against Australia in the semifinals. Compare that to the men’s margin of 35.7. Almost the same, but the men’s win vs Lithuania came with just a 5-point margin.In casual conversation there are three teams which contend for the ‘Dream team’ title – ’92, ’08 and ’12. In 1972, the USA men’s team had a 63-game winning streak, but the competition wasn’t as fierce as it is now. The ’92 Dream team had a win streak of 15 games. This amazing women’s team has had 44 straight wins in Olympics. 15 multiplied by 3 is 45.

It’s safe to say that the women’s basketball team is the official ‘dream team’.

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/13/the-real-dream-team-44-olympic-wins-no-respect-for-womens-basketball-team/feed/ 0 01209118 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/13/cas-the-hidden-referee-in-all-sports/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/13/cas-the-hidden-referee-in-all-sports/#comments Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:35:36 +0000 Sprinter Sports http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=582414 There’s an international sports body whose impact across all sports can be as far reaching as the body is unknown to the casual sports fan. Even hardcore fans who can recite all rosters of their favorite league may be ignorant of CAS.

A judicial court brings to mind a somber atmosphere with justice being tossed down from the judge’s high chair, with a judge in a wig banging his gavel and throwing down death sentences. While CAS is a body for policing sports, sentences are passed down here too, albeit in a different manner.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or gazelle – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

In this day and age, when you have vehicles which will take you from place to place, the whole point of running seems to be lost a little. Earlier, Man used to run to catch food and avoid becoming food.

He used to run for something and run away from something. That theme is true today too, albeit in a different way.

My alarm went off at 5 this morning. I turned around and switched it off. Then I tossed about in bed, contemplating if I should wake up or not. Another 5 minutes, I told myself, and went back to sleep. 5 minutes seemed fair. My eyes opened next at 7 am. It was raining outside. What’s the point, I asked myself. Forget the run today, tomorrow will be another day. I tried to go back to sleep but my mind just wouldn’t let me then. I got out of bed, put on my tracks and my running shoes, plugged my I-pod in and headed outside for a run. My day had barely even begun, but truth be told, I knew that was going to be the hardest decision I made today. Phew! At least that’s over and done with!

While running today, I was thinking about all the years that had gone by when I wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully at night if I hadn’t run. I needed to run to survive. I needed to compete. I needed to push myself. I needed to feel the pain, the struggle. I loved the hard work and the complete lack of social life that came with being a sportsperson. But that was then, and this is now.

So why do we run? What is it that makes our mind willing to put our body through all that exhaustion? What exactly is the “joy of running”? Ask any marathon runner if they enjoy competing at a marathon, I’m sure they’d be lying if they said they enjoyed all 42.7 kms of it.

(Sid: Now wait a minute…Ok the last 7 kms were hellish. I said to myself, never again. But even as I said it, I admitted to myself that I would be doing it again. It’s like childbirth, not gone through for fun but for the results.)

The dictionary definition of ‘to enjoy’ implies receiving pleasure or satisfaction from something. Sure, there is nothing greater than the satisfaction one receives from completing a marathon, but that enjoyment is only felt once the race is over. And that’s what we all run after.

What do you run towards? – sense of satisfaction, sense of pride, mind takes over body and you realize how little you thought of yourself and how much more you are capable of doing. Run towards more than just the finish line. Run towards a dream, a goal. People run for social causes, in order to keep fit, to win medals, to make a living, etc. But in my opinion, you should only run for yourself. Run because it makes you happy, run because you want to experience that feeling of having conquered your inhibitions, your pain and everything else that was coming in the way of you and your goals. Run because you enjoy it.

Run for you.

(Written by Zeba Changi with inputs from Siddarth Sharma)

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/11/what-drives-a-runner-a-medium-distance-runners-version/feed/ 0 039410 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/11/123-jamaica-bolt-blake-and-co-paint-it-yellow/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/11/123-jamaica-bolt-blake-and-co-paint-it-yellow/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:09:05 +0000 Sprinter Sports http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=577462

Taking the Gold, we have, yellow.
Silver – yellow.
Bronze – yellow again.

The year was 2002. It was the Kranteerava Stadium in Bangalore. Very intimidating, just the ground itself. That’s where I met my, and I’m sure every budding Indian woman athlete’s, role model – PT Usha – for the first time. I stopped to get my idols autograph while my dad made me pose with her for a picture. All of 13, that was one of the most overwhelming feelings of my life. Then I entered the warm up area. There she was again, this time with a young girl, her protégé, who looked more or less of my age. She looked the kind who was preparing for this meet for a long time and was there for just one purpose alone – to kill the competition! I was just like, yeah dude, bring it on! Little did the naive, young me know back then that that girl was Tintu Luka. The meet was the DSO Schools Nationals.

So after I lost terribly to Luka in the first nationals of my life ( Luka went on to win that race and I stood a proud 6th out of 7 athletes ), I had just one thing on my mind. I have got to beat that girl. 7 years I spent training every single day of the week, hoping against hope to win that one national gold medal. But year after year that medal went to Tintu. Finally, Tintu went on to break National records, represent the country at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and today she’s all set to represent India at the highest possible level. Yes, she has made it to the semi final of the Olympic Games in London, and I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be praying really hard for her to win that race.

For those of you who missed the 800 meters heat, here’s a quick recap. Luka made sure she got off to a good start and did her best to ensure that she cut in quickly enough from the 200 meter mark in order to be able to run from the inside of the track as much as possible. She stayed with the pack and never let herself fall back. That was a good strategy to employ, never let the competition get way ahead of you. Throughout the race, however, Luka seemed like she would finish in the 4th position.

An anxious dive at the finish line, ensured otherwise. Luka finished in third place with a timing of 2:01.75 seconds, a tad slower than her personal best of 1:59.17 seconds. During the semi finals however, Tintu will need to up her performance by a few notches as she will be competing with the likes of Pamela Jamelo and Caster Semenya.

So maybe Tintu doesn’t even know me. She’s probably seen so many like me in her illustrious career so far. Who once used to be my biggest competition, is today my biggest inspiration. Moulded by just the right person, Tintu is the athlete I could never be, but always wanted to be. I hope she manages a podium finish at the Olympics at London. I hope she manages to make up for the loss of that medal she so rightfully deserved at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, but was so dishearteningly deprived of. Even if she doesn’t manage to make it to the top 3, I hope she exits the Olympics putting up her best show ever. Because the Tintu that I, and the rest of the country know, is one that never backs down without a fight. When she takes the field, be confident of a performance wreathed with class, grace, style and perfection. Good luck Tintu! You’ve made us all proud.

(Written by Zeba Changi)

Wrestling could make a legitimate claim for becoming the national sport of India. It’s certainly been around for long enough. Bheem was an accomplished wrestler. So was Duryodhan. They were both so enthusiastic about and proud of their wrestling skill that when they met at the battlefield it turned into a Bollywood style standoff. For real.

Give up yet?

The one, the only.. Dara Singh!

Sahana Kumari clearing the bar

Sahana Kumari will take to the field in the Women’s High Jump Qualification today at 2 pm. She has had to clear many bars to get this far, besides the jump bar. Her high school physical education teacher Purushotam Poojary used to fund her travel for competitions. The tables have turned on that as this time she had to make an effort to try and have her coach accompany her. The National Committee of India has a sanctioned quota of only 5 coaches and her coach could not be included. ’Ek Aur Prayaas’, an NGO, helped get funds to cover the travelling expenses of her coach.

As she clears the bar today, there’s another bar which is being cleared. Sahana Kumari was just two years old when PT Usha became the first woman athlete from India to participate in the finals of an Olympic event in 1984. And this time around, it marks the first time that each and every country participating in the Olympics is sending a woman.

As recently as the 1996 Olympic Games at Atlanta, 26 countries did not even send women to participate. And now, the U.S. team has more women than men for the first time — 269 female athletes to 261 men. The three countries which were holding out on sending women – Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – are fielding female athletes for the first time.

Half of our medals in this Olympics have come from women – two bronzes from Saina Nehwal and MC Mary Kom. And there are three female athletes participating in today’s events for India. Geeta Phogat in wrestling and Tinku Luka in the 800m race are the other two apart from Sahana.

All men are born equal. Well, what about the women? Why not say all humans are born equal?

The only area where women were considered to be behind men was physique. That makes this milestone all the more important. Smoking cigarettes had been one of the tools of the liberation movement. The World Wars played a part. And all along the cause was being pushed on another frontier, one which would negate the physique factor when it comes to drawing lines between men and women.

Women may not be able to run as fast as men, or jump as high or whatever. But men can’t run faster or jump higher than a cheetah or a monkey either. We don’t bestow those animals higher status because they are physically superior to us. Why do the same for men vs women?

Ok fine. Given the choice, I wouldn’t want to watch WNBA over NBA. The NBA game is faster, stronger and more exciting. That being said, check out the following analogy:

The Tarahamura tribe in Africa boasts of some of the greatest long-distance runners in this world. One theory behind their amazing trait is that it was born out of necessity. They had a unique method of chasing down their prey for food.

The deer may be faster, but there’s a catch. A deer doesn’t perspire. It can’t sweat to cool off. A man vs deer race would be like a turtle vs hare race without a finish line. The deer won’t stop running until the man stops chasing it and the man won’t stop chasing it until he bears down on the deer.

A deer will run very fast, then slow down to cool off. The man chasing him isn’t as fast, but he has a built-in cooling mechanism. The Tarahamura tribe literally run their prey down to death. In about two days’ time the deer will drop dead from exhaustion.

Given the choice you’d rather watch a cheetah chase a deer for a few breathtaking, breezy minutes than a Tarahamura tribesman run it down in a race of attrition over a course of days.

Yeah, given the choice I wouldn’t watch WNBA over NBA. Just like I’d rather watch a cheetah cantering away after its prey than watch a Tarahamura tribe run a deer down over two days.

Does that make the cheetah superior to the Tarahamura? Does the fact that you’d rather watch NBA over WNBA make the latter inferior? Each has different things going for it. One appeal of the WNBA game is that it is slower, the athletes can’t rely on their otherworldly athleticism to get by, they need polished skills.

When I need a break from high flying jams, I do turn to the WNBA game which relies more on skills than on physique. Obviously it’s rare to be able to dunk, but it takes more polished skills to make a layup than to just slam a ball down.

Yeah, so am animal can chase a deer down with ease, and a man being physically inferior can do the same in his own way. But there are a lot of things which a man can do but animals can’t.

Men being physically superior to women. Animals being physically superior to men. We don’t accord animals with higher status just because they are physically superior. Next time a guy flaunts his physical superiority over women, just remind him that he’s boasting about something as shallow as a monkey coming up to you and saying “Yo puny human! I can jump higher.” Well  good for you monkey. Good for you.

Sahana Kumari is the national record holder, having cleared 1.92 meters. The record for men is 2.25 meters by Hari Shankar Roy. Yeah, given the choice you’d rather watch him jump; men might be better at running and jumping. But if you want to judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree…

Whoever called them the weaker sex, should have his head examined.