IPL, Hockey and Sports in India

Congratulations to Chennai Super Kings !! The IPL 3 Champs !!!

The Cricket has reached to altogether a new level with the initiation of Indian Premier League (IPL).There is money, there is talent, there is foreign exposure with the induction of foreign players, there is glamour, there is infrastructure, there are best coaches, there are best facilities, there is no political interference (almost negligible), there are privately owned franchisees, there is brilliantly designed league system, there is entertainment, there is aggressive marketing, there are franchisees’ merchandise sold to the fans, there is a crazy crowd to watch it, there is superb commentary, there is competition, there is pride involved, there is profit for the owners…what else do you need for a Sports League to succeed ??

There is no doubt , IPL has brought India to the limelight in the sporting world.

But, sports in India, despite all this, is in a terrible predicament. If the entire money and attention goes to one sport, where will the other equally deserving mortals go ? The success of IPL shows that – ‘will to do’- is a very important element in any endeavour, whether its preparing a maggi or signing on a document granting the funds for the construction of roads in villages or in improving the plight of sports in India.

This ‘will’ is amazingly lacking in the Sports administration of India. India finished 8th in the just concluded Hockey World Cup. Did we see anybody from the administration appreciating their improved performance given the fact that we were ranked last in the world (12th or 13th) prior to the world cup…?? They may also win a tournament in the forthcoming months but their victories may not be acknowledged. Here is the problem. We don’t nurture our sportsmen.

No matter how better we strategize to improve Hockey, results would be seen only with improved administration and transparency. Look at Hockey Australia. They upload the minutes of their meeting on their website to bring about utmost transparency. There is no limit imposed on the number of sponsors. On the contrary, they give the advertisements to invite the sponsors for the team as well as for the individuals. In Germany and Spain, emphasis is laid more on competitive and professional domestic league.

If we could meticulously execute IPL in India then I don’t see any reason we can’t do it for other sports. I am not asking for IPL-like management in other sports but certainly a better administration which is transparent, flexible, open to ideas, accountable and the one which also appears fair in its proceedings. The rest will depend on the popularity of the sport which will come from quality.

Its not only about providing better infrastructure and facilities to the sportsmen but also the emotional support, motivation and recognition. The government was in doldrums and could not come up with a clear thought on the issue whether Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar should be awarded the Khel Ratna or not, for a quite long time. I believe that the achievement of these Olympic bronze medalists should be acknowledged and if we fail to do that , we will end up doing disservice to the sports in the country.

We should make the people feel that they also have a future if they play good badminton, good chess or if they can throw a discus to a great distance !! That will encourage the couch potatoes of the country to go out and play and do some physical work. It will make India a healthier and a fit nation.

Sports is one field which can bring pride to the nation. I , myself being a sportsman, never got an opportunity and motivation to build a career in sports. Despite being a quick sprinter , my skills never got acknowledged. This shouldn’t happen with the millions of kids aiming high to make a career in sports. Everything rests on the will to improve, the will to accept the weaknesses, the will to shed egos, the will to strategize, the will to Lead and the will to be THE BEST !!!

Nurture these kids and very soon , we will be mining Diamonds !!

Leadership and CWG

Here are few of the Leadership quotes i like the most..Read on,,

• "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Picasso

• "The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were." - John F. Kennedy

• "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." - Martin Luther King Jr.

I am actually getting very excited about the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. We really require great Leadership qualities amongst our administrators who are , no doubt, toiling hard to make this event a great success.The Leadership quotes above may prove to be a guiding and motivating force for them.

Although the preparations are on track but i feel there is one major area of concern which the authorities needs to look into. Its the development of the infrastructure in the region surrounding Delhi. I read it somewhere that Delhi will also be offering all athletes a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and will provide a reserved lane for participants on selected highways. This shows that the tourists visiting Delhi will not confine themselves to the Capital only. They will be visiting the nearby areas viz. Agra, Mathura, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Varanasi etc. Now, in that case, are we focusing on the development of infrastructure of these regions or is our entire focus confined to Delhi ???

I had put up this question to the Head of the Commonwealth Organising Committee, who was one of the panelists in the PUBLIC SPEAK programme of All India Radio. But, to my utter surprise, i did not find his answer very convincing.

I strongly feel that this grand event is one of the biggest opportunity for India to showcase itself to the world. This showcasing will succeed only with Good Leadership. We want leaders who will go an extra mile to finish the construction of stadiums on time. We want leaders who do not fight for the credit for a job well done. We want leaders who are innovative to provide solutions for online ticketing for common man. We want leaders who would turn the ordinary into extraordinary to make the Commonwealth experience for the foreign tourists the most memorable one, the one which makes them say back home, " Hey, I had fun in India !! The Games were awesome !!"

I am confident that we are very much capable of putting up a great show...which will make all of us proud of being an INDIAN !!

Cheers !!