(Warning: Long Post)Abhinav Bindra has made Indian sports history by being the first individual to win a gold medal at the Olympic games.
News channels went giddy with excitement and every channel had the same 60 secs of video on loop, showing a calm and smiling Abhinav on the podium receiving his medal.
Everyone spent the morning in front of the television or online, wanting to be part of this historic event.
Anyone who can be interviewed about this is being. So we have MS Gill, our sports minister congratulating himself on national television for Abhinav’s medal. This is being touted as a shining moment in our history and one that is full of pride and honour.
Bindra is the latest champion on the block. He is the new headline. Adulation and praise is being showered from all directions in the form of words, money and even life-time free rail travel!
It is definite that Abhinav Bindra will come home to a hero’s welcome.
But the question now is, will he be maintained as the hero he is being made today?
How many of us knew about him and his prowess with the rifle before today? Ok, so probably was mentioned as winning the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001 and gotten mention with his Commonwealth games gold medal in 2002. But I’m sure that in the visual clue round of a quiz show, there wouldn’t have been many to identify him correctly.
Today money is being showered onto Bindra for his achievement. Everyone is giving more than the other to this young shooter. Suddenly he is their blue-eyed boy. But where were these people (with their cheques) when Abhinav’s family was spending their own money on building him a shooting range in their house? Where were the sponsors when Abhinav attended competitions across the world?
In all of this, it is Bindra’s parents who are to be congratulated and appreciated for their efforts and support. In a country which recognises only cricket and cricketers, to have supported their son’s talent and ambition and to have funded it is rare. And for the most part, those who do aspire to shine in the field of sports, away from cricket, do not have the means to do so. Where are the supporters then? Where is the funding? Where are the facilities?
The Breaking News is that this is India’s first gold medal in 28 years and the first individual medal. Has anyone thought to wonder why? Why is that in this country with a population of more than a billion we have failed to train even one person to win at the international arena?
It is this apathy that disgusts. I don’t know if the men’s hockey team didn’t qualify because they weren’t good enough or because they were trying to make a statement. A wake up call to those who only see the money and glamour of cricket and fail to realise that in the field of sports, cricket is only one game played by a handful of countries (and the god-forsaken T-20 by even less) while other sports like tennis, badminton, weight lifting, shooting, hockey, swimming etc are more international and probably deserve more encouragement and support.
It is sad that it required a gold medal to get the recognition and support of our government. I don’t know whether they choose to ignore, or are just too stupid to recognize that gold medals are not waiting to drop into the hats of the untrained. When will they appreciate the fact that training and support and facilities are more important for our players than having more than a couple of dozen government officials accompanying them to the Olympics just so that they can come back saying that we tried our best but next year we will win.
So today Abhinav Bindra is India’a poster boy. I just hope that he doesn’t get rolled up and relegated to the back of the cupboard to gather dust.
Today, a gold and adulation. Then what?
Today money is being showered onto Bindra for his achievement. Everyone is giving more than the other to this young shooter. Suddenly he is their blue-eyed boy. But where were these people (with their cheques) when Abhinav’s family was spending their own money on building him a shooting range in their house? Where were the sponsors when Abhinav attended competitions across the world?
In all of this, it is Bindra’s parents who are to be congratulated and appreciated for their efforts and support. In a country which recognises only cricket and cricketers, to have supported their son’s talent and ambition and to have funded it is rare. And for the most part, those who do aspire to shine in the field of sports, away from cricket, do not have the means to do so. Where are the supporters then? Where is the funding? Where are the facilities?
The Breaking News is that this is India’s first gold medal in 28 years and the first individual medal. Has anyone thought to wonder why? Why is that in this country with a population of more than a billion we have failed to train even one person to win at the international arena?
It is this apathy that disgusts. I don’t know if the men’s hockey team didn’t qualify because they weren’t good enough or because they were trying to make a statement. A wake up call to those who only see the money and glamour of cricket and fail to realise that in the field of sports, cricket is only one game played by a handful of countries (and the god-forsaken T-20 by even less) while other sports like tennis, badminton, weight lifting, shooting, hockey, swimming etc are more international and probably deserve more encouragement and support.
It is sad that it required a gold medal to get the recognition and support of our government. I don’t know whether they choose to ignore, or are just too stupid to recognize that gold medals are not waiting to drop into the hats of the untrained. When will they appreciate the fact that training and support and facilities are more important for our players than having more than a couple of dozen government officials accompanying them to the Olympics just so that they can come back saying that we tried our best but next year we will win.
So today Abhinav Bindra is India’a poster boy. I just hope that he doesn’t get rolled up and relegated to the back of the cupboard to gather dust.
Today, a gold and adulation. Then what?
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