Make the most of now!
ADAM SINCLAIR

Now’s the best time for other sports, as cricket takes a back seat during the Olympics, feels hockey player Adam Sinclair

With Olympics having kick-started it is but inevitable to not think about it. It’s the biggest sporting event and, for a sportsperson like me, the biggest dream would always be to represent my country at the Olympics. It has been my childhood dream.
Want of attention

The Olympic season is a wonderful time because other sports, besides cricket, are in the spotlight for a change. Other sportspeople too work as hard as the cricketers but the rewards and recognition other sports get is less than even 10 per cent of what cricket gets.

It is difficult to compete with cricket for attention mainly because it has a privatised board. Their administration has promoted and improved the players and the game to make it what it is today and other sports associations should learn the same from the way cricket is administered.

As far as hockey in India is concerned, the youth are becoming more aware of the game especially at the school and college level. More youngsters are coming forward to play hockey these days and the government is supporting the trend by introducing more youth programmes to develop the game. Though it seems like a positive response from youth, it’s not enough.

But if you ask me how conducive the city of Chennai is for a hockey player in terms of opportunities and amenities, I would have to say that we Tamil Nadu players do not get enough opportunities to get back on the main stage due to the problems plaguing the federations at the moment.

But the World Series Hockey was a bit hit this year and gave the city’s hockey players a wonderful opportunity to showcase their skills and talent to India and the rest of the world. On the other hand, there is a lot of scope for hockey players since youngsters get admission in top colleges and employment in government sectors but when it comes to facilities it’s still below average.

In my case, my entire family is into hockey so I always wanted to become a professional hockey player and worked towards it, so it did not come as a big surprise that I took it up professionally. Besides, I always knew there would be scope for myself and a lot of other players out there.

Up side

Looking at the bright side, I think the best thing to happen to hockey in India recently is the team qualifying for the London Olympics 2012 and the recent World Series Hockey came as a big boost for the team.

My analysis of the Indian hockey team that’s at the Olympics is that it’s one that can throw up a lot of surprises and upsets in this tournament. I think we have a good possibility to reach the semi-finals because Coach Michael Nobbs definitely seems to have a trick or two up his sleeve to get the team there.

Adam Sinclair is a professional hockey player and was a member of the Indian hockey team that participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics.