 |
|
| SPORTS TRIBUNE | Saturday, November 3, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
|
An extreme test for man and machine
National Sports Policy puts thrust on excellence TEEING-OFF |
|
|
An extreme test for man and machine The organisers had said that the third Maruti Raid de Himalaya was going to be the roughest, toughest and highest. It was all of that plus in addition it was also the longest. Almost 3,000 km of driving in the harshest conditions. Snow, ice, sub-zero temperatures, high winds and at high altitude-devoid of oxygen. It really was a test of man and machine, the mountains being the great equiliser. Even the transport stages had a different type of competition — against the elements. Extreme sports had arrived in Indian motorsports. Twentyfive cars and 24 mobikes took the starters flag on October 6 from Shimla’s Peter Hoff Hotel, a building that defies description, architecture and reason. But it is the star of Himachal Tourism’s hotels and has ample place for parking cars, mobikes, ambulances and official vehicles. The second competitive stage for the first day finished at Shamsar having started at Baghi Pul, 68.13 km of mountain stage. Most raiders were in good form and after Shamsar it was a transport stage of 147.39 km to Manali. This was an appetiser. Day two was a transport over the mighty Rohtang Pass at 3980 metres above sea level, down to the Lahul valley. The only competitive of the day was from Gramphoo to Kaza over the Kunzam La at 4551 metres above sea level. This 132 km is considered the toughest stage by veterans of the raid like Sanjay Sikand and Rahul Khanna. Both had participated in the previous two events. At the end of the day in Kaza, Manik Raikhy was leading the pack with Sanjay snapping at his heels in second place. Mohan Lal Sharma was leading in the two-wheeler category. Day three was the Kaza-Gramphoo stage. Day two in reverse. The bone-shattering, suspension breaking stage did the trick. Sanjay Sikand bombed out and Mohan Lal Sharma, the previous day’s leader, crashed and broke a leg. Manik Raikhy bashed in his gearbox on the Esteem. With nothing but boulders of all sizes on the gravel road this is gypsy country. With four-wheel drive and its high clearance the Gypsy performs remarkable well. The night halt was at Jispa. A comfortable one. The next night at Pang was a miserable experience. Night temperatures were down to -18°C! The third day was from Jispa to Pang. One of the excitements on this stretch is Tandi — a one horse town but it has the only petrol/diesel pump on this road. The last one was in Manali, the next one is Leh — 300 km away! The other excitement is crossing Bara Lacha La at 16500 feet (4890 metres) above sea level. It was a competitive stage and possibly the most spectacular pass on the route. There had been a change in positions on the road. In the two-wheelers Suhrid Sharma, a local lad from Shimla, had taken the lead with Dijay Sahi only seconds behind him. Along Aier, almost a newcomer from the far East, had moved up into the lead. The Army had fielded two teams of Major Bhupi Sahi and Major Dhillon. Both were driving hard and pushing their way up. Driving like a true veteran was Rahul Khanna. Steady but sure. He knew the real challenge was the terrain and not the Gypsy behind him. At Pang, during the overnight halt he had a front differential, clutch plate and bits and pieces of his suspension replaced. Day four was going to be tough. It was a perfectly miserable night at Pang and it was only the beginning. My bed was next to the door in the army officers barracks. What door? Extreme cold (-18°C), high altitude and lack of oxygen made man and machines sluggish. The car engines just would not get to full r.p.m. It was the same for men! Day four was a mass start from the More (pronounced Morey) plains. All the competitors were about 20 metres apart and at the drop of the starter’s flag every one took off. It was a sad day for the raiders. John Mark James, a Briton riding a specially prepared Bullet 500, ran into a gully about 1 km from the start. It was a horrific crash and I saw John Mark fly over the handle bars. It was an unavoidable accident and alas fatal. They did everything for John Mark but to no avail. Day five was Leh-Kargil-Leh. After the previous four days of driving this was a piece of cake — 450 km of all tarmac. Most raiders had forgotten what tarmac was like! A surprise starter this day was Major Dhillon. On the Morey-Leh stage Major Dhillon drove into a rock, smashed and rolled his Gypsy. The dust had blinded him and he just did not see the huge boulder. The vehicle was in bad shape and the fauji service team worked till 4.30 to put the car together! A tremendous effort on the service team’s part. Day six was the sting in the tail. Leh to Manali, 473 km of competitive and transport, with little difference. The elements were at their best. The first pass to cross as a competitive was Tagalang La. At 5360 metres it is the second highest motorable pass in the world. The blue sky and bright sun shine were deceptive. The temperature was 8-10 degree below zero. This was followed by Lachalang La at 5065 metres and Nakee La. Baralacha La at sun down gave us snow, ice on the road at 5890 metres and again sub-zero temperatures. One cannot but admire the grit, determination and courage of the mo-bikers. Crossing Rohtang at 3980 metres seemed easy. Manali was a welcome sight and a good night rest after 16 hours of non-stop driving. On the last day of the event, tragedy struck again. Chaudhry and Jaswinder in Gypsy No 24 went off the road on the last competitive stage, Baragaon to Basantpur. The cliff was 800 metres steep and both boys died in the crash. Extreme sport is here to stay. Himalayan Motorsport and the hardcore team of Parmar Singh has to be thanked for it. Also to thank are Maruti Motorsports — a newly created division of MUL, the Governments of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army. Results: Four wheelers: Along Aier 1, Rahul Khanna 2, Anil Wadia 3. Two wheelers: Suhrid Sharma 1, Dijay Sahi 3, Rakesh Blokhra 3.
|
|
National Sports Policy puts thrust on excellence The National Sports Policy 2001 seeks "broadbasing" of sports and "achieving excellence at the national and international levels" by integrating sports and physical education more effectively and efficiently with the education curriculum. "The integration of sports and physical education with the educational curriculum, making it a compulsory subject of learning up to the secondary school level, and incorporating the same in the evaluation system of the student, will be actively pursued", notes the National Sports Policy. It says an appropriate inter-school and inter-college/university competition structure would be introduced at the national, state and district levels to unearth and foster sports talent. The need to frame a new National Sports Policy in more concrete terms, spelling out the specific measures required to be adopted by the various agencies which are involved in promoting sports in the country, was felt as the implementation of the earlier sports policies, framed in 1984 and 1986, were tardy and the "goals and objectives laid down in the policy are yet to be substantially realised". The National Sports Policy 2001, which has been approved by the Union Cabinet, puts the Central Government, in conjunction with the State Governments, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the National Sports Federations to "concertedly pursue the twin objectives of broadbasing sports, and achieving excellence in sports". While the broad-basing of sports will, primarily, remain a responsibility of the State Governments, the Union Government will actively implement their efforts in this direction and for tapping the latent talent, including in the rural and tribal areas. The Union Government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in association with the IOA and national sports federations, will focus specific attention on the objective of achieving excellence. Effort will also be made to promote and encourage women’s participation in sports. The Union and State Governments, as well as the National SportsFederations/Associ- ations will endeavour to promote "Club Culture" for the speedier development of sports in the country. High priority will also be accorded to the development of sports in the rural areas to harness the available talent and potential. The question of inclusion of sports in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and introduction of appropriate legislation for guiding all matters involving national and inter-state jurisdiction, "will be pursued". The Sports Policy has also put great thrust for infrastructure development, for which steps would be taken to evolve low cost functional and environment-friendly designs so that maximum benefits could be derived through relatively low levels of investment, besides making optimum use of the existing infrastructure. The Sports Policy has also recognised the autonomous status of the IOA and the Sports Federations, and has laid emphasis on the need by the Government and other agencies concerned to "work together harmoniously and in a coordinated manner to fulfil the objectives of the National Sports Policy". It would also be incumbent on the sports federations to hold national championships in all the age categories, from sub-junior to senior level, both in men’s and women’s sections at the district, state and national levels. Long-term development plans (LTDPs) will be prepared for each sports discipline, and release of Government assistance would be considered on the basis of performance relating to the LTDP in question. Sports science has also been given pride of place in the policy to ensure systematic and scientific grooming of the players from a very young age. All effort would be made to get the latest sports equipment for training and competition, by importing raw material and equipment, and by encouraging indigenous sports goods industry. The policy has also laid provisions for recognising the achievements of sports persons and their coaches, judges and refereed by providing them with proper incentives, in cash and kind, and also avenues for employment.
|
|
TEEING-OFF Unquestionably Irina Brar is an outstanding amateur in the country but she will have to bring out her best to retain the Northern India Ladies Golf title at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) course from November 6 to 9. Irina will be opposed, among others, by Parnita Garewal and Shruti Khanna. There was a time when both Parnita and Shruti were superior to Irina. Now Irina is way ahead of them because big occassions do not overawe her any more. There are several other promising girls in the fray. Shalini Malik, Mayali Talwar, Pragya Misra and host of others will display their talent. Two experienced players, Vandana Agarwal and Anjali Chopra are also expected to be on view in the competition, which has always been a star attraction. Parnita and Shruti will be able to take Irina to full distance only when they play in their carefree style. If they succumb to pressure, they will never be able to play to their potential. Both Parnita and Shruti are as talented as Irina. They also hit a long ball. But since last year their form and achievements have been far below their promise and capabilities. It is indeed heartening that more girls have taken to golf, competitive golf at that, in recent years. But the overall standard has not improved much. This is because they are not provided as many opportunities as they deserve. The Indian Golf Union (IGU) will have to provide greater thrust and impetus to women’s section. The women’s team generally handle their affairs with great aplomb. They run the competitions efficiently and deserve better facilities than they are accorded. It is indeed very thoughtful of the organisers to honour Sita Rawley, an Arjuna awardee, and one of the most durable players. Her contribution in the women’s section has been immense. Along with the Malik family, a wall in Maurya hotel bar has been dedicated to her. All the leading professionals of the country will be seen in action at the DGC course from November 1. The competition is now a part of the Hero Honda Tour. The course is in good condition and the professionals will be able to return good cards. There are many youngsters who are determined to upstage the seniors. The Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI) along with Tiger Sports Management, has helped golf progress. The course at Noida, which just hosted a competition, has been considerably improved. As authorities are supportive of golf, there is every possibility of more competitions being staged on the course. The more the competitions, the more will be the success of professional golfers. As of now, bulk of them are caddies-turned-professionals. But many amateurs are changing their status to join professional ranks. Kapil Dev, for example, wants to be a professional. Maybe, he will take part in the qualifying school competition next year and get into professional circuit. He is a type of player, who is bound to succeed. He is one who hits a long ball and he has a wonderful swing of the club. His swing is as smooth as his bat was during his cricket playing days.
|
sm
|
 |
Kudos to junior hockey team Kudos to the junior hockey team for winning the World Cup at Hobart. The media also deserves praise for giving prominence to this historic event. Hockey had lost its glory due to dismal performance of our teams. It is a matter of great satisfaction that our young players have helped in keeping alive the game. The team deserves a standing ovation. UJAGAR
SINGH II With Indian hockey close to extinction without sponsors and media coverage, the victory of the junior team at Hobart revived hopes of hockey lovers. The performance of Indian team against Argentina in the final was outstanding. The boys really deserve backing and applause. This bunch has brought glory to Indian hockey after a long time. All praise to coach Rajinder Singh for his dedication and hard work. PRIYANKA III The junior hockey triumph is a boon to India’s sports, especially for NRIs living in the USA and Canada. On behalf of NRIs I congratulate Gagan and his team members. We invite the team to visit us in the USA and Canada to play with local clubs. GURDAN BAJWA IV The victory over Argentina by our Junior World Cup team has done every Indian proud. This has happened despite all odds. The players richly deserve the compliments. VBN RAM V October 21, 2001, was a memorable day for all Indians as our junior hockey team won the World Cup by a big 6-1 margin against Argentina. The team deserves all praise and encouragement for this big achievement. It is sad that Doordarshan failed to telecast live such big event. The ministry concerned should take notice. (Sub-Major HS
NAGRA) VI I came to know about the glorious achievement of our junior hockey players through your newspaper and really felt proud of the boys. It is shameful that Doordarshan did not bother to telecast the event. PALKA
NAYYAR VII Congratulations to the junior hockey team for the victory at Hobart. It is a matter of great satisfaction for hockey lovers. Our team played excellent hockey and deserved the title. This victory shall boost the morale of our senior hockey team, in the forthcoming World Cup. Rajinder Singh, coach of the team deserves all appreciation. SHRI RAM SHARMA
|
