Another National, another rehearsal for the next

By S. Thyagarajan

CHENNAI, OCT. 18. It is difficult to divine whether competitive athletics in India remains in the realm of a transition or has transformed into a discipline strong enough to be reckoned as a medal sport beyond the compass of this continent. There have been several icons through the decades, illustrating perhaps that individual proficiency, which is what athletics is all about, can blossom into full fragrance with or without official or governmental support. But one is tired of slipping into an emotional melange of recalling those glorious days of Milka Singh, Gurubachan Singh Randawa, Sriram Singh, P.T.Usha and Shiny Wilson.

Inspiring no doubt are such tales of heroism, which only mirror the labour of love more than anything else, what plagues the sport today is an appalling degree of sophistry when the need of the hour is sophistication in every aspect dealing with training, systematisation, and categorisation.

To say that no effort has been made in this direction will be unacceptable. But what little has been accomplished simply negates the enormity of the factors remaining to be attended to. Again, it is not wholly on account of lack of effort. At least in the last few years the Amateur Athletics Federation of India (AAFI) is making genuine moves to fight the infirmities with some degree of success.

Anguishing however, is the insensitive response to the system from the competitors themselves. The level of desire, the passion to excel, and to be part of the national competitions are abysmally low notwithstanding strict directions by the federation that athletes rated as stars should not skip the Inter-State and the Open. Invariably, the list of entries records every name that is available. But on the field absenteeism reigns supreme.

True, the athletes have a genuine grievance in that not much attention is being paid to them in terms financial rewards, or even ensuring decent accommodation and travel facilities. The ugly cycle is getting complicated more and more leaving distaste all round.

Doping debate

Menacing too is the impact of doping. The debate which now rages on in the higher echelons of administration, the Sports Ministry included, and in the portals of the courts reflects the depth and dimension of the malaise, which not merely has devastated the fabric of sporting ethos in athletics but in almost all major disciplines.

The subject of doping in Indian sport has a much wider relevance than be confined to athletics, or to the National Open here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. But where athletics suffers more is because any striking performance before an important event like the Olympics and Continental events is viewed with a veneer of doubt. The ugly leeway between what is recorded in domestic competitions to that at internationals exposes many and evokes ridicule. The ambivalence of the administration in accepting the records on face value has only added to the discomfiture of the star performers.

If motivation is the sine qua non to perform then the athlete is perfectly right in asking what is he or she fighting for now in the National Open. It is unfortunate that two major events ahead, the Afro-Asian Games in Delhi and the South Asian Games in Islamabad have to be rescheduled for next year in the wake of the turmoil afflicting the region as a result of the terrorists attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on September 11. To blame anyone or any unit for this tragic development will be irrational. The circumstances have to be accepted as a curse than anything.

It is not easy to evaluate what exactly will be the outcome of this goalless National Open. The officials assure that it may be taken as a rehearsal for many before much postponed National Games in Punjab next month. If that is a consolation so be it. Amidst this welter of problems, confusion, contradictions and controversies another National event will slip into the book of records as a ritual towards fulfilling the annual programme.

Minus the magnificent hurdling by Gurpreet Singh in the Inter- State meet at Lucknow a few weeks ago, there has been nothing to cheer on the domestic scene. Gurpreet Singh obliterated the 37- year-old 110 metres record of Gurubachan Singh Randawa. Quite a few prominent competitors kept themselves away from Lucknow, ostensibly to prove their mettle at the right time. Whether the National Open be that stage is a matter of conjecture.

Star-filled list

Like any other major meet, the list of competitors for the National Open shows all the stars as having entered. The organising unit assumes that the catalogue of competitors is enough to generate interest allround and pave the way for some striking duels, especially in the sprints and quarter mile which are expected to feature stars like Anil Kumar of Services, Paramjit Singh of Police, and Thirugnanadorai of Railways.

Track record suggests another bonanza of medals for the Railways, which has the best amalgam of national talent. Services, once an athletics power-house, is now only an average player on the national scene. Among the states, Kerala has always been in the forefront demonstrating a vibrant assembly line followed by Tamil Nadu, which, in recent years, has acquired a modicum of stature as a major force thanks to the initiative of the President, Mr. Walter Dawaram, and Secretary, Mr. Neelasivalingaswamy, who have made it a policy to have at least one national level meet in the state.

Technical flaws, a feature of national level meets, are expected to be minimal this time, what with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, powered by the energetic Member Secretary, Mr.P.W.C. Davidar, providing all the sophisticated equipment commissioned for the SAF Games held in 1995. These include the foul start indicator, which should be a deterrant to those who have the tendency to jump the gun.

The names released by the host unit, Major Ports Sports Control Board, contains a star galaxy, and if everyone turns up with the determination to conquer new frontiers of excellence then there will be something to relish for the dwindling number of aficionados of competitive athletics in the country.

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