RESURRECTION OF INDIAN SPORTS AND GAMES

 

Date : 09-08-2021

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The winning of bronze medal in the Olympic Games by men’s hockey team after a drought of 41 years and the stellar performance of the women’s hockey team which entered into the quarter final stage for the first time in the Olympics and the gold medal winning throw of Neeraj Chopra and other medalists enthralled the entire nation beyond words ushering in a new era of rejuvenation in the field hockey and other disciplines.  The successful endeavors of our hockey teams will enable a paradigm shift in the realm of promotion of our national game to bring back to its old glory of the Dhyanchand era. The growth, popularity, financial strength and formidable position the India cricket commands, should be an example for hockey and other sports and games to make their dominant position in their respective fields. From absolute obscurity to formidable limelight and dominant power is the story of Indian cricket.  The success story of Indian Cricket should be the inspiring saga for hockey and other sports and games.

Yet another feature worth noting is the composition of the hockey team particularly that of women’s team. It is heartening to note that players from rural areas and small towns are overcoming their shortcomings including poverty, lack of infrastructure, financial support and devoid of encouragement thronging to participate in coaching camps and tournaments and successfully achieving their objective inspiration to wear the national colors. It is a very positive sign prevailing among the generation next of the urban, rural and small towns which should be encouraged to build up India as a sporting nation for which a blue print with a vision and mission should be drawn up and implemented without delay keeping in view of the next Olympics and world cups and other international events in the field of sports and games by creating required wide spread infrastructure, coaching and training facilities, knowledgeable and trained coaches of national and international repute and able administrators. Catch them young should be the watch word for the future generation.

If a sports policy of making the budding younger generation to understand that sports and games are also the means of earning their livelihood to secure their future and becoming popular, it will definitely make India a dominant sporting nation to be reckoned with. The process is already initiated through introducing Indian Premier League (IPL) like tournaments in India with prominent international players being invited to participate with financial incentives. Besides, the biopics of the stalwarts of sports and games also have contributed to the spread of enthusiasm among the youngsters. Let us hope and aspire that the Olympics of 2021 will be the dawn of a resurgent sporting India to the veritable realization of its aspirations and success in the arena of sports and games.   

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T.R.Radhakrishnan