Army’s ‘Mission Olympics’
Neeraj Bagga
THE Army has taken upon itself the daunting task of bringing Olympic gold medals to the country, by pumping in crores of rupees into infrastructure, and hiring yoga instructors, sports psychologists and physiotherapists to prepare budding sportsmen. The Army has established a department, Army Sports Institute (ASI) at Pune to achieve the aim. A budget of Rs 68 crore has been set aside for the purpose.

Tennis world will miss ‘Pistol’ Pete
Geeta Kaushal
THE tennis world will miss Pete Sampras, once hailed as the 'toast of Wimbledon', who announced his retirement before 20,000 fans at the US Open on August 25, 2003.

Media, players in the learning process
Ramu Sharma

HOCKEY coach Rajinder Singh has perhaps done a great service to Indian sport in general when he asked the media and players to put a break on their enthusiasm. He reportedly made these observations following intrusion into the players privacy by an over-zealous media during the camp prior to the Asian Hockey Championship. His plea has been seen as an excuse for the reverses in the Champions Trophy but viewed in the overall perspective Rajinder Singh should not be blamed from taking a one-sided view. He has obviously only one view. Being the coach of the Indian team, his duty lies to his players and their performance. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Indian coach would not have reasons to object if these media intrusions and interviews had been a routine exercise. India, however, is quite new to this sort of hype, particularly in sport. The only exception is cricket and cricket players. Given the background and the glamour attached to the game, both the players and the media seem to revel in the relationship. Hockey and other games do not generally come under the scrutiny of the media unless of course there is some outstanding performance. And victories over Pakistan in hockey fall under the category of the extraordinary. Thus the enthusiasm.

The reaction of their players to media hype is but natural. Hockey players of recent years have hardly ever been paid much attention by the media except when, India beat Pakistan. And since that did not happen quite often, the players were not exposed to the media blitz. But things appear to have changed during the past one year with India holding the advantage over Pakistan with a 5-3 record.

An Indian victory over Pakistan automatically invites a media rush which is in turn an expression of the enthusiasm of the public . The players are soon caught up in the euphoria which often takes a long time to subside. Players are sought out for interviews , a process which continues for some time. The questions generally asked relate only to the feelings of the players after the victory. It is a matter of sentiment. Not all the players are able to express themselves but it does not matter. No player, including the captain, is asked about strategy and other such like things. In fact the game does not come into the picture.

What must be remembered is that the media, particularly the visual media, is still in its infancy in India and the young and enthusiastic reporters are still in the learning process, particularly insofar as sport other than cricket is concerned. Not many have really addressed themselves to special fields like sport. Thus the questions asked are often not quite the right ones and the answers from a player, overwhelmed with the publicity, is usually not always very appropriate. Thus one should not make too much of an answer like Pakistan is our enemy in relation to the title match in the Asia Cup.

The print media too is going through a phase. The reporters all young and energetic, have to keep up with the visual media. And that is a very tall order. Thus the flood of interviews, opinions and related issues once a team wins. There is no time for anyone to sit down and reflect on the overall scene and whether the whole process is not being overdone. Or more importantly done in a reasonable, mature order.

It is not going to be easy to check either the media from intruding into privacy of the players or the players seeking to give interviews unless some sort of military rule is imposed. But that will only be for a short period, but perhaps effective enough. Whether such stern measures are going to help win matches is a different matter.

What is important is to ensure that the players and the game gain from the media hype. This is a related development. Media hype spells recognition and that in turn elaborates to endorsements. That is what happened to hockey after the successful stints in Australia. Though there was a setback after the disappointment in the Champions Trophy, the Asia Cup will have restored the spirits.

Some sort of acceptance will be there once the players and the authorities understand that there is no getting away from the media. Frankly the only solution is for the Indian team to work hard and keep winning and for the players to learn the art of giving interviews. In the process they will find the media too will have learnt to respect the privacy of the players and at the same time become an expert in the art of asking all the right questions. That will ensure a very good relationship.

Army’s ‘Mission Olympics’
Neeraj Bagga

THE Army has taken upon itself the daunting task of bringing Olympic gold medals to the country, by pumping in crores of rupees into infrastructure, and hiring yoga instructors, sports psychologists and physiotherapists to prepare budding sportsmen. The Army has established a department, Army Sports Institute (ASI) at Pune to achieve the aim. A budget of Rs 68 crore has been set aside for the purpose.

The ASI had taken up four disciplines, including archery, boxing, weight-lifting and diving. Promising players in these four fields are selected at the national level and then recruited in the Army in the rank of Havildar. “These selected few concentrate solely on their discipline and are exempted from routine Army training,” according to the archery coach with the ASI, Mr Ravi Shanker.

He informed that this project was the brainchild of Col M.A. Naik, who is a rowing Arjuna Awardee.

He said services of foreign coaches especially from countries which had produced world-class players in boxing, weight-lifting and athletics were being requisitioned. Cuban coaches for each of these three disciplines have been made available. “South Koreans are world leaders in archery hence a Korean coach was hired.” These coaches have also introduced new techniques in coaching.

South Korean archery coach Chae Hong Gi who was in Amritsar recently said he had been a coach in Japan for more than three years. “India need to pick players at the grass-root level,” is his advice.

Comparing Indian and Japanese archery, he said Japan had more than 1000 participants in national archery competition and merely 3-4 players cross the magical 1300 marks but in India at the same level less than 100 archers participate.

Tennis world will miss ‘Pistol’ Pete
Geeta Kaushal

THE tennis world will miss Pete Sampras, once hailed as the 'toast of Wimbledon', who announced his retirement before 20,000 fans at the US Open on August 25, 2003.

Winner of 14 Grand Slams, including seven Wimbledon, five US Open and two Australian Open titles, Sampras was an icon in tennis. Lovingly called Pistol Pete by his fans, he mastered every stroke in the book. With an uncanny sense for the serve and volley game, Sampras played with seamless ease. Being a true gentleman and sportsman on and off court, Sampras was admired by colleagues and opponents alike. Tennis legend and sports commentator, John McEnroe said about Sampras: "Pete, I tried to serve like you. I couldn't. I tried to hit the big forehand like you. I couldn't. I tried to act like you. I failed at that."

There seemed to be no looking back for the invincible Sampras. Considering his other achievements besides his Wimbledon record, he occupied a special place in the game's history. In 1990 he became the youngest tennis player to win the men's singles US Open at the age of 19. He had the unique distinction of being the number one player for six consecutive years from 1993 to 1998. he was voted as the best tennis player of the 20th century by CNN/Sports Illustrated poll. He was also voted by current and past players and the media an the best male player in the past 25 years. He was ranked No I for a record 276 weeks.

After reaching such heights, there seemed nothing left for Sampras to prove and aim for. Such a feeling usually comes from defeat rather than exceptional achievement. However, men like Sampras quit while they are still way ahead. The only place in his remarkable career where he fumbled was on the dusty red clay of Rolland Garros. He may always regret never having won the French Open, but this also goes to prove that after all Sampras is only a human being.

It was not until Sampras arrived that Bjorn Borg's feat of five titles was considered unbeatable. Hardly anyone believed the record could be broken until Sampras went on to win seven in eight years.

Sampras will be remembered as a true champion who rose to the occasion and displayed excellent composure even when circumstances were not in his favour. None other than Pete Sampras is worthy of the respect and recognition that he has received during his illustrious career as a tennis player.

Tennis will not be the same after ‘Pistol’ Pete.

Red-letter day for Indian hockey

Three cheers to the Indian hockey team for winning the Asia Cup and booking a berth in the 2006 World Cup. Our guys should now win a medal in the Olympics. To win the Asia Cup is one thing but to win a medal in the Olympics or the World Cup or Champions Trophy is quite another. The difference between Asia Cup and other mega events is now fully known to our players. Skipper Dhanraj Pillay has already expressed his burning desire to stand on the podium in the Olympic Games. Touchwood, our young hockey brigade is fully capable of fulfilling his wish in the Athens Olympics. India have beaten Asian teams but another war against the European teams is yet to be fought and won.

JATINDER SHARMA, Nawanshahr

II

September 28, 2003, was a red letter day for India as our hockey team won the coveted Asia Cup for the first time at Kuala Lumpur defeating Pakistan 4-2 in the final. Both the teams were locked 2-2 but the last two minutes of the game proved fatal for Pakistan when the third and fourth goals scored by Ignace Tirkey and Prabhjot Singh took India to the zenith of glory. All the players played to their potential and deserve praise and appreciation. With this victory, the Indians have proved that they will be strong contenders in the Olympic Games next year.

ANJIV JASWAL, Chandigarh

III

At long last India realised their dream of lifting the Asia Cup. It is entirely a different feeling after the win against Pakistan. Team spirit, momentum and the killer instinct made it a winning combination. Let it be the beginning of the comeback of Indian hockey. The entire team, including coaches, deserve accolades and rewards.

Air Cmde (Retd) Raghubir Singh, Pune

IV

The hockey team, coaches, IHF, Ministry of Sports, Sports Authority of India, National Institute of Sports and other institutions deserve congratulations for India's title triumph in the Asia Cup. It was a drama in real life. Skipper Pillay, move makers Baljit Dhillon and Ignace Tirkey, strikers Prabhjot, Gagan Ajit, Sandip and Deepak Thakur, defenders Dilip Tirkey and Kamalpreet, goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, coaches Rajinder Singh and Baldev Singh and all members of the team, fitted into the great act and rose like a man possessed to clinch the title.

It is a dream team in the making which has resilience, determination, killer instinct, motivation and the desire to excel.

JOGINDER S. SAINI, Patiala

V

This is with reference to India's victory in the sixth men's Asia Cup Hockey Tournament on September 28. Truly, the hockey final was a thrilling experience. Passions and stakes were high and our hockey team were in no mood to disappoint the nation. The last two goals in the dying minutes were simply superb. It seemed as if Ignace, Baljeet and Prabhjot were performing magic with the ball. Gill's warriors were at their best and they decisively established supremacy thrashing South Korea and Pakistan.

PROF SUDHIR GHAI, Ludhiana

VI

Our hockey team brought glory to our country by winning the Asia Cup. Our players scored two quick goals in superb fashion. This two-minute miracle enabled India to lift the Asia Cup.

NIDHI BHANOT, Ludhiana

VII

India won the sixth Asia Cup at Kuala Lumpur defeating arch rivals Pakistan 4-2 in the final. After many years hockey lovers of India enjoyed a real feast. The brilliance, skill, stamina and determination of the Indians enabled them to establish clear supremacy over Pakistan. For the splendid achievement the Indian players deserve all praise. The Indians not only set up a fine example of team work but also played fearlessly to achieve the required victory. Pakistan seemed to be over confident due to their earlier victory over India, but the Indian forwardline proved to be very strong to net two goals moments before the last whistle. This victory will certainly boost the morale of India. The day is not far when the Indian team will rub shoulders with top European teams.

NIRMAL SINGH, Patiala

VIII

Congratulations to the Indian hockey team for their well-deserved victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup. It was a day of joy, jubilation and merry making. Perhaps the team-mates had not forgotten the promise made by their captain to the ailing Jugraj Singh. Ignace Tirkey deserves praise for his brave effort. From the beginning of the second half he was seen making attempts at the Pakistan goal. It is a morale-boosting win and captain Dhanraj Pillay and coach Rajinder Singh deserve all praise for providing excellent leadership.

VIPUL KANSAL, Panipat