Finding fault with athletes is very eazy for these reporters. why can't they give the same question to indian cricket team when sachin got out in the india-pakistan match at the test match in chennai. he complained about back pain? the reporters won't do that.
Encourage the athletes rather than criticizing them for bad performance.
Last time, it was a brone, now it is a silver - albeit in a different sport. If we only had jettisoned our officials (obviously on a junket) and instead concentrated on our athletes, we would have won at least the tennis medal. In hockey, we hit our legs with the sticks. New German coach who had no knowledge of the sports' psyche in India and not proven as our cricket guru Wright, all these amount to something bad in our sports. While our officials enjoyed the trip, our poor athletes had to train abroad at their own expenses. Isn't this example alone enough to know morass when it stares at you in the face? I know that Sunil Dutt is a well meaning man, but he has to learn his tricks. He should start identifying youngsters when they are in their LKGs and train them. A whole team of officials - who are beyond politics - should scout talent and start practising NOW for not the next olympics at Beijing but the next one, wherever that is. At least we would have 8 years' practice. We do not have facilities that the Chinese, Americans and the Russian have. So thank God that we got one silver medal and not a wooden spoon.
Instead of making excuses our fellow countrymen should look at improving their performances. Probably they should push the government to provide them with better training facilities instead of talking about pollution in Athens.
Sir, really it is very bad thing of media which always cry on every event rather suggesting some positive things which can encourge the players for not making mistake for next time. we should appriciate the players who have proformed good like Kunjarani, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, Anju Booy George, K M Binu, Woman relay team an, we should appriciate the potential player from Archery (Reena Kumari and Satydev Prasad and other team member), Shooting ( Abhinav and Suma Anjali Bhagwat). Really these People are serving the nation on cost of their future these people are far far good form us. why we people forgate that as compare to other nation we are not spending proper money to them for their survice. Dhanraj pillispend their whole golden era of their life for serving the nation and Gill and other dominant people are stoping him to play in their last Olympic match which was just for postining after loosing the chance of Championce Trophy. Can you imagin his situation. After this, how many youngster will ready to give their survive to nation. when most of the youngsters are enjoying their life these people are practicing for their event. So, Pls D'nt show negativenss again
Its one thing to sit back in the comfort of the chair and comment and quite another to compete amongst the best athletes in the world. I would not completely ridicule the article, coz i do believe there is some truth in authors argument. Although, coming 6th in amongst the World's best is quite a feat. Well Done Anju George. ON the flip side, 4 years back we would have taken Karnam Malleswari onto cloud Nine coz of her Gold medal and we find that she's making excuses this time around. I would like the author to check if he has actually competed himself at any level to understand what sports are all about. In All, without completely backing the athletes, i must say there is a lot we need to improve and must work towards that instead of pointing fingers at people.
Reading your comments, it really make me to laught. Yes we lack in standards. But it is not because of the way our athelets perform. But because how our nation treats these events. Speak from your heart - Are we giving the equal importance to these games like cricket. Give a try and see where we stand... - PROUD TO SAY AN INDIAN
The author is making fun of the athletes even without ascertaining whether there is any truth in what they said. He is not even willing to spare even an athlete like Anju Bobby George who no doubt gave her real best & came so close to the medal in such a competitive field; now what is the Biswajyoti Brahma's excuse for not penning a real good investigative article on why we didn't do well?
An American
by Raj Prasad on Aug 31, 2004 02:40 AM
You are reading Rediff.com and you claim to be American!!!! I am sure you are one of those who ran away from this country because you are not fit to be here. I am sure you are working in grease joint as a waiter or dishwasher. May be you are an illegal immigrant. Look at Americans who won the awards, except for few white people most are blacks, and immigrants.
RE:in bad taste!!!
by velocity321 on Aug 31, 2004 12:35 AM
of interest to you,
1st person to win Olympic Medal from Asia - Norman Pritchard, 1900 (Anglo-Indian from Calcutta)
1st person to win Nobel Prize from Asia - C.V.Raman, 1930 (from Madras, India)
1st country from Asia to reach World Cup Soccer finals - India, 1950
Now before 1950 India was at the top in Science & Sports in Asia and before 1800 was one of the top two countries in the world along with China, now it is at the botton, while other Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea are far ahead. Reason is very simple - because Science & Sports are relegated to the lowest level in India, while importance is given only to Films & Politics and to an extent Cricket as well !
Vegetarian or non-vegatarian diet is of no real importance because the most powerful primates Gorilla & Orangutan are pure vegetarian.
ps: I suppose you are aware that the land you were sitting on "America" was discovered while Colombus searched for India and was called before as West India ?
RE:in bad taste!!!
by trueIndian on Aug 31, 2004 12:02 PM
Wow Mr.American, what an advice! Yes your idea of setting up academies of sports are good, but what is this about vegetarianism! Nice idea to totally abandon any idea of sports and end up obese looking at weight loss programs-ur so called beef helps a lot- so will the innumerable ads in American TV's about weight loss!
RE:in bad taste!!!
by Sudharsan on Aug 31, 2004 01:40 AM
You are a 'COWARD'. You don't even have the guts to own up to what you say, but you criticize Indians of being Sub-human. Iam sure you are a good for nothing low-life with no self respect. Because only people with acute inferiority complex would try to put down others and that is what you are doning.
Yet they have prooved that Indians cannot perform in sports. No point in giving any kind of excuses. If they had problems, they should / must have left athens.
Me-thinks that the nature of the events at the Olympics are not suited for our chaps . They must be changed to give us a realistic chance . Examples : Shouting , Passing the buck ,Stab in the back ,Laziness , Sloth , Betting , Hawala , Strikes , Rushing to the well of the House etc. Any guesses as to who would win the maximum golds !!
The spirit of the Olympics is to take part. Just because our Indian contingent did not win any Gold medals, or rather any other medals, it does not mean they did not try and did not prepare hard. They were the best our country could send at that point. We should respect them and render them the respect all Olympians deserve. Unlike other sporting events, it takes a lot of preparation for the Olympics. Some people tend to forget reality.
