Does it make any more sense now to blame cricket and criketers,now that India have performed horribly at Athens 2004 in all but one disciplines.
Let us accept that the government spends a lot in few of the disciplines like boxing,archery,shooting,hockey,weightlifting.
Except for Major Rathore's medal, we have nothing else to show.
Our cricketers work equally hard, earn more and hence are somehow made to feel like outcastes since they do not plays in Olympics. I guess, in US, NBA and baseball stars are not denied their place in the sun just becuase those pros do not play in the Olympics.
It was a poor perfomance but we must not think everything is over.A 5th or 6th place finish at the olympics would still be decent.We must go to prepare for the forth coming World Cup in Germany.We should learn from the last minute experimentation of players and coaches at Athens and go for a long term goal.It is very important that we must win a forth coming major tournament like the 2008 olympics or the 2006 World Cup.Otherwise people would start losing even their little interests and hopes on hockey.It is important that very less changes are made for the next years.After our team's pathetic performance in the 2002 world cup, our perfomance was not that bad in that year.We did well in the Champions trophy that year holding holland and defeating Pakistan and Australia although finishing fourth.Then we did reasonably well in Asian games winnig silver.The next year 2003 we had a string of very good perfomances.We maintained an 80% record winning Four out the five tournaments in that year.Just when we thought of a medal finish at Athens the IHF changed a string of players at 2004 where it affected the team's rhythm. So I hope in future there is no experimentations made.
I don't get surprised when I get to know that hockey and tennis players(Lee-Hesh) don't come back home with a medal in their hands. I think that it is the mental strength which lacks in the Indians due to which they don't fair so well in any of the games. It was the mind doctor Sandy Gordon with the help of which Indians did pretty well in World Cup Cricket. I think we need to employ mind doctors who can give Indians at least the mental strength to compete in the sports. Unless and otherwise despite spending crores and crores of money we will not be able to achieve success in any of the sports.
Yet another disappointment for Indian Sportsfan. I just wonder where we are in sports. Hockey once upon a time which was indian dictatorship now are beatable by embroy of the hockey game . we as indians are just ashamed of the efforts put by the team . And now Mr Super Cop should pave the way for deserving candidate . he has put the Indian hockey to stardom and it is enough and we Indians are very grateful to Mr Super Cop. arvind
This has become a routine thing for decades. This is happening in cricket and now in hockey. In what is know as the worst decision of umpire against India in India Vs Australia Match, we can see practically dhanraj pillay suspension from playing for no fault and paving way for the GOAL. The umpires in that match are very cruel against india. They are not even seeing the australian players harsh attitudes and aggresiveness. Now against Newzealand it was shown again that the umpire will do any thing to until Newzealanders win. The olympics symbols equality to all human beings in the world. But is grossly overtaken by RACISISM. I feel should not participate in the games like this where there is no equlaity between humans.
kpsgill the villain for the grand demise of this once great sport of India should hand in not only his resignation but also be held accountable and tried for this sorry state. hockey died in 98 after the triumph in asian games when he threw aside most callously the coach Kaushik and five player.now we witness only the ghosts performing and that too in atrance!!!!
Its really shameful that the team (so called international) is of india. these people are not even at the level of school also. they dont have right to humiliate Indian hockey.
its really shamefull to have such players in team Sumit
