Getting ready for Rio

India garnered 2 silver medals and 4 bronze medals, with 83 athletes competing in the London Olympics, while India’s neighbour China, with a similar population of over a billion, collected 87 medals, including 38 gold medals.

Why is India unable to produce world class players (Editorial ‘Good, but not good enough”, August 14)? There are reasons for India’s lackluster performance.

First, the Indian government does not identify, nurture, train or motivate talent adequately. Countries like China and Britain identify talented players early and then invest in them.

Second, sports bodies in India are hotbeds of politics and corruption and do not focus on training players and winning games. Most sports bodies are headed by politicians and ministers, not by sportspersons.

Third, Indian players lack world class coaches and training facilities, infrastructure and thus never achieve their full potential.

Apart from cricket and tennis, sportspersons in India are not paid enough. India needs to undertake some serious soul-searching to perform better at the next Olympics to be held at Rio de Janeiro.

RAJENDRA K. ANEJA, Dubai

II

To save Indian hockey, the central government should overhaul the present hockey set-up and form a committee of hockey professionals to run the game. The committee should select at least 100 young hockey probables, prepare about four good teams and rotate the players after certain intervals. The committee should select any two of the 14 countries which play good hockey and send teams for matches twice a year.

The Indian team would get to update the latest techniques of the game and would also gain from experience. Upcoming coaches and umpires should accompany the touring teams to receive training and to raise the standard of coaching and umpiring. Before departure and on return, team exhibition matches should be played in big cities to collect funds for the welfare of players.

Where the hockey talent is available in plenty, quality astroturf should be installed for practice. The government should open hockey schools in all states. After completing their education upto higher secondary level, the students of hockey schools should be trained at the NIS centres. The old Olympians and other good players should be given jobs in these schools.

IQBAL SINGH SAROYA, Mohali

Secure yourself

What ideals are being set for our young men by our political leaders like Amarmani Tripathi, ND Tiwari, Chander Mohan and Gopal Kanda? The eve-teasers who stalk young working women need to be condemned by our civil society by standing boldly against them in public (editorial “Girls interrupted”, August 13).

Our young working women still continue to behave delicately and are soft, emotional and physically weak. They feel helpless in front of hooligans who exploit them because of these traits. Women should equip themselves with self-defence techniques like martial arts and boxing and face the beasts.

JAGDISH MITTER GANDHI, Gurgaon

Sacrificing merit

The editorial “Caste-based promotions” (August 11) is a caution not only to the UPA government but to the entire political class regarding the ill effects of passing highly discriminatory laws which go against the spirit of equality enshrined in the Constitution. Sacrifice of merit at the altar of vote-bank politics is not only dangerous but highly volatile in nature, which can trigger caste conflicts. It is ridiculous to carry on the most absurd policy of caste-based reservations for more than six decades. Even Dr Ambedkar, who initially introduced this policy, was not sure of its success. That is why he had kept this provision for a period of ten years. To extend this policy to promotions is senseless and illogical.

AK SHARMA, Chandigarh