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It is often said that if any body wants to travel abroad at the tax payers money and without any fear of accountability then he or she should join sports federation(s).
The year 2010 has been a boon year for such officials and in the name of training/coaching/exposure to prepare the teams for the World Cup (Hockey), Commonwealth and Asian Games, most of them traveled almost all parts of the planet except south pole. To justify unprecedented amount of money spent on their trips and allowances, the Officials have started living on myths that Indian sports is on the rise.
However, reality is different and grim.
Hockey team is the example. This is the most traveled Indian squad but end result has been dismal. In the Hockey World Cup held in Delhi, India finished 8th and failed to get direct qualification for the 2012 Olympics after ending third in the Asian Games. In between, in the Commonwealth Games, the team though came second but the thrashing it received at the hands of Australia in the final will take a long time to forget.
Much is made of India’s with 64 medals haul (14 - gold, 17 - silver and 33 - bronze) at the Guangzhou Asian Games. It is being hyped as the country’s best performance since the First edition of the event held in 1951, -that time as a host country India claimed 51 medals including 15 - Gold. In 1982, in New Delhi again, India won 57 medals - including 13 - gold.
So, if one compares India's performance at Guangzhou with 1982 Games - one will find that 28 years and six Asian Games after, India has won only one more extra gold, and for that Country spent Rs 695 crore, while Iran bagged 16 - medals to finish way ahead of us.
In Commonwealth Games, India with 101 medal tally came second after Australia but the field was not very strong. This was evident at Guangzhou where Heroes at Delhi were reduced to Zeroes.
India sent their biggest ever contingent to the Asian games this time. The 800 plus squad, brimming with officials who had nothing to do with sports, was lucky to salvage reputation in the second half of this sporting extravaganza in which 12 - gold medals were added to the kitty which had only two golds to show in the first nine days.
India flopped in Hockey, Shooting, Wrestling and, Badminton but were saved blushes by cue sports performers, Tennis players, Athletes, Boxers, Rowers and to some extent Archers.
Indian hockey team's hope for a direct ticket to London Olympics was dashed as it lost (for the first time in Asian Games) to Malaysia in the semi finals. Pakistan, were lucky, as despite playing poor Games in the league they won the Gold and ticket to London.
The much hyped shooters had 9 medals including only one gold (3 S,5B). Double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi was the Gold winner. Beijing Olympic gold-winner Abhinav Bindra and world number four Gangan Narang had to be content with silvers while world champion in 50m prone air rifle Tejaswani Sawant, and Manavjit Sandhu failed.
In Badminton, there was too much pressure on Saina Nehwal, but the World number 5 crashed out in the quarter-finals. In mixed doubles, but Jwala Gutta and V. Diju could not cross the second round hurdle.
Wrestling another no show with only three bronzes in their kitty two in Greco-Roman and one in freestyle. With Olympic medalist and world champion Sushil Kumar and Commonwealth Games champion Yogeshwar Dutt absent due to injury, the wrestlers sank without any trace.
However in tennis, it was a great showing as the team was without veteran Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. They won six medals (2 G,1 S 3B).
101 ranked Somdev Devvarman had the distinction of being the first Indian to win the men’s singles, Gold. He and Sanam Singh took the men's doubles gold, while Sania Mirza settled for a second silver. Athletes returned home with 11 medals (5 G, 2 S 4 B) Boxers added 9 medals(2 G,3 S,4 B) and these two disciplines contributed 20 medals out of 64. India took part in whopping 35-disciplines.
In the track and field, Commonwealth Games gold medalists Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Chidananda Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur retained the title. 23-year old Ashwini, hogged the spotlight bagging two golds in as many days. She ended a 25-year-old drought by clocking 56.15 seconds in women's 400m hurdles. P.T. Usha last won it in Seoul 1986. Joseph Abraham won men's 400m hurdle to give the country a historic double gold in the event. He earned the distinction of being first Indian runner to win the title after Charles Borromeo's 800m gold in 1982.
It was the boxers who cornered the spotlight. Nine of them made it to semi-finals, making sure of as many medals. Vikas Krishan Yadav and Vijender fought tactical bouts to win Gold medals. Vikas, Youth Olympics champion, overwhelmed China's Hu Qing, to win the 60kg gold, first since Dingko Singh's bantamweight gold in Bangkok 1998. However, Suranjoy Singh lost in the 52kg category semi-final match while world women champion M.C. Marykom fighting in the 51kg category also failed.
In archery, Tarundeep Rai's became the first Indian to make it to the finals. However, he lost the Gold to 18-year-old Korean, Kim Woojin. A silver and two teams bronzes in men’s and women’s events was the best showing by the Archers in the Asian Games so far.
Rower Bajran Lal Thakkar, Billiards champion Pankaj Advani, Kabaddi men and Women Teams added a gold each to take the tally to 14 (golds).
Ashish did well in Gymnastic, Sandhyadevi in Wushu, V.Khade in Swimming to be among the podium finishers.
