Its just that we in india still do not provide sports as a carrier alternative.Plus do have any good stadiums which are accessible to a local bacha anywhere . Plus do we have desi indian brands that make sports products that are affordable and cheap. One benefit would be to reduce the reservation from SC and ST and increase the sports quota.....Plus i believe it hardly matters to our politicians . Do they have a vision for it too,
I have lived in india and US in the past and I can say that European and Chienese race of people are taller and more well built than the Indian race. Also Indian food is not very nutritious, especially vegetarian food. I think this is the primary reason why India cannot produce athletes or even soccer players, Cricket is ideal for India, a mind game and Indians are certainly not below average in brain power.
Let us not let national pride be dictated by Olympic tally, thats lame
RE:physique matters
by Telephone on Aug 04, 2008 07:24 PM Permalink
You are right,even I have noticed the same. However, the underlying problem is apathy and neglect. Sports persons in India are mostly from middle or lower class who also struggle with domestic problems. And somewhere loose zeal to compete.
RE:RE:physique matters
by drunken monk on Aug 04, 2008 08:05 PM Permalink
DONT AGREE WITH YOU. RUNNERS FROM KENYA OR IVORY COAST ARE POORER THAN US. STILL THEY BAG 2-3 GOLD MEDALS.
RE:physique matters
by Ajai Bharadwaj on Aug 04, 2008 08:17 PM Permalink
As long as we have THIS kind of an attitude (talking about height,food,cricket being ideal and all the assorted nonsense), we can never ever hope to excel in ANYTHING. It is appalling to read this kind of LAME stuff.
This stale state of affairs has been going on for donkey's years. Population explosion and corruption is eating away India. Jessica Lal's case is a classic example of people against the rich and the powerful.
Importance is given to reservation and mediocrity. How can a nation prosper unless we give importance to merit?
Winning in sports is the last thing on their minds. What is most important for them is amassing money. Take money and lose games.
People are not allowed to live decently. A job that can be done in two minutes does not take place full life time. Every where bribe is paid to get the work done. We practice female foeticide, reservation in jobs, no incentives to sincere workers in the government. They are in fact harassed to the maximum. One Sachin Tendular cannot make the cricket team win. This is India. I fully understand what the writer has conveyed. These statements are repeated again and again by honest Indians. Unless all Indians have this awareness, winning will be a distant dream.
First and foremost, the east german, slovenian and other government may not have great quality of life.. but they had basic patronage in terms of food, health and other things for everyone. No one went to sleep without food. The countries had smaller population for identifying and nurturing talent pools. Here in our country, someone has to pay to enter a swimming pool. Archery or football kits, who is giving it away.. Its important to cultivate a culture of decent basic amenities of life, before one can actually dream of medals at olympics and so on. All one can say is, talent needs nurturing. But, for nurturing, u need eyes that can spot talent. Do we have them? We have politicians holding post in every sports association. How long has suresh kalmadi been president of IOC or sivanthi adityan for Volleyball federation. Looks like rotary membership for these guys. No responsibility, accountability or any other ability. Except bureacracy. Anyway, your article will be forgotten.. my comments would be forgotten. We both will be doing something else by end of day today. Lets pray that we get some good olympians years from now atleast
RE:All said in article is well.. except
by Manjit Thomas on Aug 04, 2008 08:02 PM Permalink
Though I agree with some aspects of the article, I do disagree with some aspects. We have to face the reality that we Indians are not exactly the outdoor people that Europeans or Americans are. I went to Oslo last year and really wondered how a country that has biting winters and midnight sun six months round the year manage to produce a world cup playing soccer team. The answer is that in those six months of sunshine , every family, every child try to spend as much time as possible outdoors playing and being physically active. We cannot blame ourselves for our situation. As long as roti and Kapada is still a issue amongst us, when employment and next meal a challenge, when leadership is apathetic to sports and victory in the field not a dream, we will remain a sportingly impoverished nation and keep trying and never winning.We will blame everyone - kalmadi, communists, IOC... yet wouldn't encourage our son to take up a racket just for the sake of playing it - (cause where are the returns ???) Forget it - India cannot produce a Olympic Gold Medalist unless we the people of India change our pathetic attitude to sports - and I don't see it happening any time around !
Though the criticizm that Indians fail to produce the medals that a country of its size ought to, we have to look at reasons like our social values before we blame our leadership or planning.
The problem in India has been that it has predominatly patriacial society where agriculture and in later stages education took precedence over everything else, in comparison to other societies where sport has been an accepted profession.Even cricket, which is adored by almost every Indian was not looked at as a serious profession until recently.
However, over the last decade things have been changing for the good. Slowly, but surely opportunities are growing for professional sportsmen and women encouraging more and more parents to allow their children to follow their passions. In the coming decade, surely India will progress leaps and bounds in its ability to produce sports men and women of highest caliber.
Plz dont blame cricket. If people like it, they watch it. If other sports are competitive and entertaining enuff, why wont people like them.
If people can tolerate Himesh reshammiyya's new hair style as a host of reality show, it's OK with them to watch good competitive sports if they entertain :)
And btw this article is written well. These Anju Bobby Geaorge and all those Olympic Quota Job seekers are good for nothing. Today's spirited youth has to earn bread for family in this era of hardships. Who has time for sports? I manage to go out for a swim and thank god for that daily. O Lord thanks for the meal and swim LOL
RE:Dont blame cricket
by shilpa rao on Aug 04, 2008 05:44 PM Permalink
thebedazzeled, watch your criket and swim and eat well... because of your kind of people a man with no vision.. just eat, sleep and watch criket then thanks to God for meal... LOL
RE:Dont blame cricket
by Manjit Thomas on Aug 04, 2008 08:10 PM Permalink
5 days in front of a TV. 40 hours. 240 minutes. Excitement in increments. Endless packets of snacks. Cups of tea. Unfinished homework. Unfulfilled customers. Deadlines unmet. A worthy sacrifice. For the result - A GLORIOUS DRAW (OH WHAT A GLORIOUS UNCERTAINTY OF A GLORIOUS GAME !) - Even I am a culprit in this drama. Ever wondered why Cricket is not the most popular game in the lands where it was played first ?
RE:BEING NOBODIES IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM
by shilpa rao on Aug 04, 2008 05:40 PM Permalink
Superfine,Where were you before Olympic ????
The Indian public / Indian sponcers all are busy appreciating criket... Sports Minister (Criket Minster) only had a time for criket.
When School children represent respective states for C.K.Naidu Criket tourment they were accomodated in luxury hotel and all other facilities. But when athletes represent respective states for School National / Inter State / Inter university athletic meet they were accomodate in some vaccate school with an advise to use only floor to sleep.
There is no encourgement... athletes with gold medal are recruited by para military / defence force as NCO ( Soldier cadre ) with megree salary where as criket players appointed as Bank officers.
For this pathetic situation of athletic and other sports all India public / sponcers / goverment everybody is responsible.
This article is wrong... and don't talk about number of Indian population when Olympic comes. INDIANS !! CONCENTRATE FOR CRIKET AND CRIKET... SINCE YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR OTHER SPORTS.. SO DON'T DEMAND...
The problem with Indians (and not just athletes and cricketers) is that we easily accept defeat before the fight begins. There is no killer instinct in the attitude. You can make out from their faces what thing gets them down. In cricket, fast bowlers from South Africa, Australia, Pakistan & West Indies have always exploited this mentality of the Indian batsmen. Money is a secondary criteria. If the will is dead, there can be no win. In an attempt to show that we are the most civilised nation, we sometimes forget that only winners are remembered and glorified after a war. Not the losers. Media is also a culprit. How many of us know the names of the athletes representing India in the Olympics? Self bravura and over-rating is rampant though. Everyone seems overtly confident of winning a medal. Only 3 Indians have ever impressed at Olympics: Milkha Singh, P.T. Usha (although she didnt win a medal)& Leander Paes. Its the saddest Olympics this time round what with our once champion hockey team watching the Games with us on television.
waste of time and money. Though Indians should take part in athletic sports for health and fitness reasons. We should popularise Yoga, running , cycling and other in expensive sports for every body to take part for our selves and not just for winning Olympic medals.
RE:Olympics is lot of Bullshit
by shilpa rao on Aug 04, 2008 05:34 PM Permalink
Calspadeaspade,Where were you before Olympic ????
The Indian public / Indian sponcers all are busy appreciating criket... Sports Minister (Criket Minster) only had a time for criket.
When School children represent respective states for C.K.Naidu Criket tourment they were accomodated in luxury hotel and all other facilities. But when athletes represent respective states for School National / Inter State / Inter university athletic meet they were accomodate in some vaccate school with an advise to use only floor to sleep.
There is no encourgement... athletes with gold medal are recruited by para military / defence force as NCO ( Soldier cadre ) with megree salary where as criket players appointed as Bank officers.
For this pathetic situation of athletic and other sports all India public / sponcers / goverment everybody is responsible.
This article is wrong... and don't talk about number of Indian population when Olympic comes. INDIANS !! CONCENTRATE FOR CRIKET AND CRIKET... SINCE YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR OTHER SPORTS.. SO DON'T DEMAND...
RE:Olympics is lot of Bullshit
by Calspadeaspade on Aug 04, 2008 09:53 PM Permalink
Shilpa, your cut and paste is so irrelevant to what I wrote. I said Olympics is BUllshit. Most of the winners take steroids. How ever we need all these events for our selves for fitness. If people love cricket that is the way it is. After Vishvanathan Anand lot of youngsters have taken to chess. After sanya lot of girls are playing tennis. You need a champ of at least some level to motivate others and create interest.
