Olympics. The most successful event anywhere in the peace time history of mankind. Any second opinion? No. You are there part and parcel of such greatest human effort, an effort to bring the best in the humans in the most ethical of means.
Olympics for the Indians are a special thing. We had our member of IOC even in the 1920s, being the only Asian — and significantly the lone ‘colony country’ — to have this honour. Olympism had been the driving force in the minds of Indians who conceived and gave concrete shape to new genre of continental competitions such as the Western Asiatic Games, the Asian Games and the Afro-Asian Games. India hosted inaugural editions of all these games they founded.
Barring two occasions, India was in the Olympic medals tally because of hockey. Between 1920 and 2000 in the 19 Olympics that the Indians took part, they were in the medals list 13 times, winning in all eight gold, one silver and five bronze. All gold and silverwares were hockey’s, besides two bronze.
Will the weight of history wilt you or weigh in favour of you is the moot point. In the public eye and in media’s perspectives, Olympic sport is nothing. It is fashionable in India nowadays to neglect Olympic sport and sadly media too plays a spoilsport.
At least till the last Olympics hockey cornered all the eyes on the eve of the mega sporting event. At least for about a week, parties marked the hockey team’s stay. I vividly remember on one day three parties (IOA, Samsung, ONGC) were hosted for the Sydney bound hockey team. Sitting in Delhi, a hub of farewell parties, this time I feel empty. Newspaper are still full of cricket, the hangover of Asia Cup refuses to fade. Olympic news still comes somewhat unwillingly and half-heartedly at the last pages.
IHF says more media focus on hockey in the Olympics times is not good. They think it adds to the players’ pressure. They have nearly got the hockey out of media. Hockey is out of sight. Hockey stars usual limelight is conspicuous for its absence this time. I think the IHF deserves a benefit of doubt on this score. Because, the same set of officials who were in charge of previous two Olympics were not preventing any number of functions then. We are therefore left to feel what has happened is good for you, the players. Nothing is wrong in trying out new things though it affects somebody’s sentiments.
The situation is fluid. On the one hand media ignores the Olympics sports on the other the Federation wants to keep you away from glare. The public at large is the sufferer. They are forced to forget you and me, that is, the team and its followers.
Only way to prove your worth against such situation as you are in, is to perform. Performance cannot come at the Olympics without observing its values. The Olympic values, as enumerated in Part I of this series, are `integrity in action, mutual respect, harmony between mind and body’.
Third Part to come shortly