WFI must have long-term plan
By Asma Ali
Since 1951, when the inaugural Asian Games were held in New Delhi, it has never been a golden period for Indian matmen in Asiad, though in mega events such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, there had been a silver lining or two.

Paes, Bhupathi must stay together
By Sanjay Manchanda
For the first time ever in our country’s tennis history, an Indian is on top of the world tennis rankings. Even if only in doubles, Mahesh Bhupathi has made his countrymen proud by becoming the No 1 doubles player in the world.

Sport Mail

Parduman’s case raises many questions
By Ramu Sharma

The news that Parduman Singh, one of India’s finest achievers in the Asian Games, was ill, stricken with paralyses, in his native village Bakta Bhaika in Bathinda district of Punjab, has come as a big shock. Parduman was one of the original strong men of Indian athletics, excelling in both shot put and discus. A national champion and record holder in the 50s, he has perhaps won more medals in Asian Games than any other male athlete from India.

He took part in three editions of the Asian Games, winning the gold in both shot put and discus events of the Manila Games in 1954, repeated the gold in the shot put event of the Tokyo edition in 1958 where he also picked up a bronze in the discus and then went on to win a silver medal in the discus event of the Asian Games held in Jakarta in 1962.

A very popular athlete Parduman was also much respected in his village, where according to Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, finalist in the 110-metre hurdles in the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, he was the “Mukhia” or headman. Gurbachan has much more information to give since he has been in touch, indirectly though.

The news of Parduman’s illness was made public by Milkha Singh, a contemporary of the strong man, who also appeared to sportslovers to help the athlete “in his last journey of his life.” Milkha Singh himself, it was reported, has contributed a cheque of Rs 10,000 to the former national and Asian champion.

Gurbachan Singh Randhawa who resides in Delhi and is closely connected with both the Amateur Athletics Federation of India and the Sports Authority of India has done even more. He has done all the running around to ensure that Parduman receives his medal-winners pension which he had not claimed so far from the ministry.

Gurbachan does not blame the ministry. He says Parduman had not applied for it. Thanks to Gurbachan’s efforts Parduman should soon be getting the money. So far, according to news reports, Parduman’s main source of income is the army pension of Rs 3,500 per month.One sincerely hopes that the financial assistance reaches Parduman in time and he is able to avail of the best possible medical care.

Parduman’s case raises a number of questions. One of them relates to the very sensitive issue of whether sportsmen and sportswomen going through a bad phase in terms of physical ailment would like their state of finances be made public. More importantly if they would not mind getting money as donations. This is a very sensitive issue and not much thought is often paid to this aspect either by the media or those seeking to advertise such cases, though in good faith.

Unfortunately so many things are done in good faith but not much care is taken to find out from the affected persons themselves. It is taken for granted that any old sport person who is ill is in need of money and help. It may be true in a majority of cases but then there will be quite a few who would like the world to know of their plight. They may not want charity.

This thought process has relevance to the present case involving Parduman Singh. The famous old stager, it is believed, was quite comfortably off and never thought of approaching the Ministry for the pension due to medal winners. Not that anyone would refuse money. It is a useful commodity even to those who have it in plenty. One can never have enough of it.

The other aspect relates to sports persons in Punjab. Now this is a State which has produced so many outstanding men and women and which, on important occasions, reaches out with a generous hand to extol the performances of these achievers. There may be a few who have been left out by mistake but by and large Punjab is known to treat its heroes and heroines well.

At the same time, because of the sheer numbers of such personal-ities, and the changing faces in the administration, it is quite possible that some of the older lot may have been forgotten or could not be traced. One presumes that Parduman comes in the latter category of forgotten stars.

It is in this context that one has to view the case of Parduman and a number of others of his times and perhaps a little after. A few years ago the plight of Makhan Singh was given much space in the media but it is still not known whether anything was done to help him out. There must be other such cases and the Punjab Sports Department could send a search party out to the villages in particular and seek information about ex-sports persons and their means of existence and whether they need any help of not.

This can be done discretely and without embarrassing anyone. Help could be given to those who need it and that too without making much noise about it. One must always remember that a sportsman in particular never loses his sense of pride.

While on the subject of ailing ex-sports persons and their plight one wonders if even after so many years and cases, the Federations and the Ministry, have taken the trouble to keep a track on ex-internationals. Obviously they still depend on the media to prise out such cases before allowing themselves to react. It has happened in quite a few cases in recent years and one in particular where an alert journalist has unearthed the plight of the family of an ex-Olympian(hockey) and the whole country, from the Minister downwards, has rushed to grab the spotlight while helping out the concerned party. Nothing wrong with anyone hogging publicity but does someone has to suffer first?

The Punjab Government at least should start now and compile a list of all the sports persons who have done well for the country and the State and ensure that all of them are being looked after. Its not too late to start now.

WFI must have long-term plan
By Asma Ali

Since 1951, when the inaugural Asian Games were held in New Delhi, it has never been a golden period for Indian matmen in Asiad, though in mega events such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, there had been a silver lining or two.

Our sporadic contentment had been confined to only silver and bronze medals. It is therefore no wonder that the Indian wrestling team, comprising four freestyle and two Greco-Roman wrestlers, failed to click in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok and returned home without a medal.

The chief national wrestling coach, P.R. Sondhi, outlines the reasons why our matmen are no match to matmen from Iran, Japan, Koreas, Mongolia, China, Uzbekistan in a candid and forthright interview.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

Q. Indian wrestlers failed to win even a single medal in the 13th Asian Games. Do you think Indian matmen had performed creditably in the past in the Asiad since 1954 (there were no wrestling competitions in 1951 Asian Games).

A. Strictly speaking, I would not answer in the affirmative. The Asian countries like Iran, Japan, the two Koreas, Mongolia and China have been dominating the wrestling scene since 1954. The inclusion of Uzbekistan and Khazakistan in the Asian Games have made things much tougher for Indian matmen. Our wrestlers have been winning only silver and bronze medals. Our only golden feat was in 1962 at Jakarta which is, till date, our best performance.

Q. You mean to say that our wrestling is not developing parallel to other formidable countries you have already mentioned. It means there is something wrong with our planning and the Wrestling Federation of India is not very effective to uplift the standard of wrestling in the country.

A. The wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will have to be a lot more active to uplift the standard of wrestling in the country. Sadly, there are presently just two or three major wrestling competitions in a year under the aegis of the WFI and this is just not enough. The WFI has no long-term plan for seniors and juniors and that puts everyone connected to wrestling in a state of confusion. The national wrestling coaching camps organised under the auspices of WFI in the country are long enough and monotonous. Such camps hardly serve any useful purpose. Merely holding long duration coaching camps will not give results. The WFI must organise competition-cum-training abroad or at home for our top matmen. Combined training with matmen from other formidable countries will be very useful. Presently, we do not have any system for our national wrestlers. We ought to have a system which should be result-oriented. The WFI thinks that by organising long duration coaching camps in wrestling, our matmen can win laurels in international competitions. Look at our matmen who failed to win a medal in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok. The matmen attended long duration coaching camps without proper international exposure. The wrestlers got stale in the camps and eventually floundered in Bangkok. Who is responsible for such haphazard planning?

Q. Should foreign coaches be invited to train our wrestlers in national coaching camp.

A. Yes, why not. It will always be advantageous to have foreign coaches since most of our national wrestlers are from the akharas and they do not keep themselves abreast of the rule changes. Our wrestlers are receptive only to foreign coaches when they are briefed about the rule changes. Knowing the latest rule changes in wrestling is absolutely necessary to grapple in international competitions.

Q. You think that the scientific back-up is imperative in case of national wrestlers.

A. Yes, it is absolutely necessary. The physiological and psychological tests for wrestlers are very useful and the coaches can plan the training schedule in light of the results from such tests.

Q. How much help the State Governments are extending to our national wrestlers?

A. Not really much. The national wrestling competition is held every year in Manhanana near Jalandhar. In this competition, the wrestlers are given cash prizes, besides gold. An NRI from the United States donates Rs 20 lakh to the organisers of this competition.

Q. In your view, which are the areas from where upcoming wrestlers can picked up for grooming and preparing them for international competition.

A. Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Indore have a lot of talent in wrestling. The WFI should evolve some kind of scheme to spot budding wrestlers from these areas and draw out a long term plan to train them for mega events.

Q. Will our wrestlers compete in the Sydney Olympics.

A. You just can’t compete in the Olympics without proper preparation. Look at the USA, Russia and some European countries. These countries started training the wrestlers for 2000 Sydney Olympics in 1992. Our preparation for Sydney Olympics is next to nothing. When our wrestlers have failed to win a medal in the 13th Asiad, will they win medals for India in the Olympics?

Paes, Bhupathi must stay together
By Sanjay Manchanda

For the first time ever in our country’s tennis history, an Indian is on top of the world tennis rankings. Even if only in doubles, Mahesh Bhupathi has made his countrymen proud by becoming the No 1 doubles player in the world.

To add another chapter to the history books, Leander Paes, India No 1, follows Bhupathi in the world doubles rankings at No 2. And now the powerful Indian duo is aiming to become the numero uno doubles team as well.

And while they bask in the glory of their success, there are some unfortunate reports of contemplating a break-up. When Paes and Bhupathi got together three years ago to play doubles on the ATP circuit, there were many critics who pointed out that the venture would not succeed. But the two stuck to their task and are now reaping the rewards.

During the course of this long period of three years, one only hopes that the two have forged a strong enough bond not to be misled by third parties, and can resolve the dispute by just sitting down and talking with each other. Reportedly, the two are staying together until their ascent to the top is completed.

But if the communication gap off the court is so wide, then the chances of realising their ambition is remote. And if they fall out before becoming numero uno, not only will they have lost a golden opportunity, it will also be the country’s loss.

Proof of the perceived downfall is also readily available. Last year, when there were no fissures in the team, the duo finished one step short of the summit. This year, the rift has been reflected in their tennis with only a solitary title to show for half the year’s efforts.

The only redeeming factor is that at least Bhupathi seems to have reconciled and has owed his success to his Davis Cup mate.Even though Paes is yet to make things clear, Bhupathi has, of late, categorically stated: “Our partnership is as strong as ever. It was very kind of Paes to point out a few mistakes in our relationship which we have overcome lately and the differences we had is now a closed chapter”.

Their staying together is all the more important as the duo inches closer to the first-ever grand slam title. After three semi-final appearances last year, the pair made its maiden final appearance in this year’s Australian Open.

Top-seeded for the first time in their career, the Indians were tipped to win the title, especially in the absence of Dutch duo Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis. Unfortunately, in the final, Paes-Bhupathi ran into two players who not only excel in doubles, but are also world-class singles players. And when Australian Pat Rafter teams up with Swede Jonas Bjorkman, the two make for opposition of the toughest order.

So, the Indians found out on this day. But Rafter echoed the sentiments of most tennis lovers when he predicted that the Indians would become grand slam title holders in the near future. Indian fans hope that will happen before the century runs out.

Sport Mail
Indian defeat disappointing

It was disappointing to watch India lose the first encounter of their World Cup campaign against title contenders South Africa. India could have won the match had they not been sluggish in the slog overs. Ganguly and Dravid batted exceedingly well handling the fiery pace and swing of Donald and Pollock with guts and aplomb. As a matter of fact they were instrumental in raising a decent, healthy and defensible total. Only the bowlers gave away too many runs in the closing stages of the match. A couple of good, tidy and tight overs might have shattered the Proteas’ dream of winning their first match. However there should be no room for despondency. Rather India should gird up their loins and recharge their batteries to take on their next opponents with renewed vigour. They should play four fast bowlers in their remaining matches. Pakistan did that against West Indies and despite putting up a modest total, defended it well to romp home victorious. It appears the key to victory in England is the deployment of four quickies.

TARSEM S. BUMRAH
Batala

II

The analysis on DD of the Indian cricket team’s performance in the World Cup match against South Africa on May 15 was not correct. The bowlers were blamed for their poor performance. As a cricket fan I feel it is Indian captain Azharuddin who is to be blamed for this defeat. After the fall of Rahul Dravid, he should have sent a fast scorer i.e. Robin Singh, Jadeja or Srinath. Even the commentators were of the same opinion. The arrogant captain of the Indian cricket team put pressure on the little Saurav Ganguly to take a single only to get him run-out.

Lt Col S.N.SAXENA
Bathinda

III

The Indian bowlers were responsible for India’s defeat at the hands of South Africa in their opening World Cup match at the Hove. They bowled miserably towards the end. In the 47th over of the South African innings Ajit Agarkar conceded 17 runs. That proved fatal for India. Otherwise the match was hanging evenly for both sides with the asking run rate a little over six at that time. Srinath also did not bowl tightly. He conceded two boundaries in one over during the crucial stages. If this loss hampers India’s progress into the super six stage, Agarkar will be remembered like Chetan Sharma.

ISAAC DAVID
Jalandhar

Cronje’s aberration

I feel that an innocent-looking aberration of putting a microphone in the ear by South African captain Hansie Cronje during the India-South Africa match must have been of tremendous advantage to the South African team where he could constantly take advice for field arrangement from his coach sitting at a higher place. While watching India fielding I felt many times that Azharuddin kept a superfluous fielder in the slips while the gap at mid-on was too wide for the opponents to score singles easily.

J.S. WAHI
Chandigarh

Martina Hingis

Heartiest felicitations to top- ranked Martina Hingis for winning the German Open at Berlin. The 18-year-old child prodigy pipped French woman Julie Halard Decugis to add the 23rd feather to her cap. Earlier she made it to the finals pipping defending French Open champion Aranxta Sanchez Vicario while Julie, who reached the finals for the first time during her lifetime had routed none other than Steffi Graf! It’s a dream coming true for her in Grand Slam as she failed to last beyond the quarterfinals in three previous attempts.

DARLING
Ludhiana