Winner takes all

Nothing succeeds like success and hype in the sporting world. Cricket scores over other disciplines in India due to its effective methods of promotion and fund generation, writes M.S. Unnikrishnan

IN a market-driven world, where winning is everything, there are no takers for the second best. Hype, too, plays a big role in promoting successful players. Those who manage the best deals for themselves thrive.

Visibility helps a lot in selling a product, and in this respect, cricket scores over other disciplines in India.

Cricket and cricketers enjoy a larger-than-life image in the country thanks to the astute marketing of the game by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, this pampering of cricketers has created a schism between cricket and other sports, which is getting wider by the day.

A raging debate has started ever since Team India was showered with cash rewards and other goodies by the BCCI for winning the Twenty20 World Cup. Each member of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team got over Rs 1 crore from the BCCI over and above the prize money.

Many state governments have also announced cash awards for the Twenty20 players belonging to their respective states.

Resentment is brewing in Kerala following the state government’s announcement of a Rs 5 lakh reward for S. Sreesanth. Sports officials and players of other disciplines feel that a cash-strapped state like Kerala can least afford to be so liberal with its money, particularly when Sreesanth has earned so much from the BCCI.

This moolah rain on cricketers has created heartburn among other sportspersons who feel their achievements have not received the recognition they deserve.

Viswanathan Anand, who emerged the undisputed world chess champion recently, got only around Rs 1.5 crore in prize money, though the Tamil Nadu government has announced a Rs 25 lakh reward for him. And with all his success, he has just a sole sponsor in NIIT.

The Indian men’s hockey team got virtually nothing for winning the Asia Cup title recently, while the Indian football team fared better as they won around Rs 40 lakh in prize money for annexing the Nehru Cup title, thanks to the sponsorship of the event by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. The ONGC also announced a bonus of Rs 40 lakh, which was in addition to the prize money and the Rs 10 lakh given to captain Baichung Bhutia.

To be fair to cricket, the BCCI has bolstered its funds, created infrastructure and a well-laid-out junior cricket coaching and grooming programme in a systematic manner.

Even the Sports Authority of India (SAI) spends quite a chunk of its budget on cricket coaching at the expense of other disciplines, and the government keeps mum on it as children of VVIPs get preferential treatment at SAI centres.

And nobody needs fume about it as other sports federations should also take a leaf out the BCCI book to make their respective disciplines turn the corner.

Apart from cricket, tennis and golf are doing well, with sponsors willing to gamble their money on these games.

The All-India Tennis Association, headed by Anil Khanna, who is also the president of the Asian Tennis Association, has devised its own methods to generate funds to sustain and popularise the game without depending on government funding.

If golf and golfers in India are doing well, it is due to the aggressive marketing of the game in the country, and the setting up of more and more golf courses across India.

Football and hockey in India can be self-sustaining if the teams do well, since there is still substantial fan following for these games in the country. But unfortunately, victories in these games are few and far between, and fans are put off by the repeated failures.

However, the recent good performances by the Indian teams in these disciplines have generated spectator interest, and sponsors are also coming forward.

True, Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president KPS Gill and All-India Football Federation (AIFF) president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi have managed to rope in sponsors and bring in money for their games, but unlike cricket, the hockey and football federations do not own stadiums for their games, the lone exception being the Karnataka Football Association.

No doubt, certain disciplines can survive only through government funding due to their limited spectator appeal, such as shooting. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) just would not be able to generate funds on its own for the import of ammunition and equipment, and hiring of foreign coaches.

With shooters winning medals at the Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic levels, the NRAI can justify its dependence on government for funding. But not many other federations can have such claim.

The country had always risen to the occasion whenever an Indian sportsperson did well at the international level.

Ask PT Usha, Leander Paes, Karnam Malleswari, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Prakash Padukone, Ajitpal Singh and many such achievers, they will tell you that they owe their well-heeled status to sports and the rewards they got for their achievements in the global arena.

The other day, the Tamil Nadu government announced an award of Rs 40 lakh for Achanta Sharath Kamal for his golden triumph in the Commonwealth Games.

Billiards and snooker champion Pankaj Advani expressed his resentment recently about not getting his due from the Karnataka government for winning the world titles and the Asiad gold. Well, the 20-something Advani is already a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna awardee, and he was given a substantial cash award and out-of-turn promotion by his employers ONGC. In fact, the ONGC recently disbursed over Rs 1 crore in cash awards to the 100-odd sportspersons on its rolls.

Indian players in several disciplines are being rewarded well, though not too well compared to cricketers. But then cricket operates without government support, and the sports federations should learn to stand on their own feet.

Hyderabad is set to host the fourth Military World Games beginning tomorrow. About 5,000 athletes from armies of over 100 countries are expected to compete in the mega event which will conclude on October 21.

This is the first time that India is hosting the Military Games, considered the second biggest global sporting event after the Olympics.

The games are held once in four years under the aegis of the International Military Sports Council (CISM), the second largest sporting body after the International Olympic Association.

The armed forces of 128 countries are members of the CISM, based in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

The games were first held in Rome in 1995, marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II and the ratification of the UN Charter. A total of 4,017 sportspersons from 93 countries participated. The second edition was held four years later in Zagreb, Croatia, where 6,734 sportspersons from 82 countries took part. The third was held in 2003 in Catania, Italy, where 3,404 athletes from 87 countries participated.

The fourth edition was awarded to Hyderabad after the CISM officials were satisfied with the arrangements during the first Afro-Asian Games held in October, 2003. Brazil will host the games in 2011.

Being held for the first time outside Europe, the games will showcase the sporting talent of military personnel from across the globe. Their motto is "friendship through sport".

The games will have competitions in 16 disciplines — military pentathlon, shooting, military firing, parachuting, football, handball, volleyball, athletics, swimming, sailing, triathlon, judo, boxing, wrestling, hockey and kabaddi. The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh’s Gachibowli sporting complex will be the venue for most of the disciplines. Mumbai will host the sailing and triathlon events.

Polo would be conducted as an exhibition sport to mark the beginning of the games.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy inaugurated the Games Village at Gachibowli last week.

The seven-storeyed complex, constructed especially for the games, can house 750 sportspersons and officials.

"We are fully prepared to host the prestigious event. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure smooth conduct of the games," sports minister R Damodar Reddy said.

World judo champion Sophie Mondiere, S. Valios (parachuting), S Bibard (shooting), European champions Stamislavs Olijars (110m hurdles), Henri Hakkinen (shooting), Christina Bengstssan (shooting) and Olympic medal winners in several events are expected to be among the star participants.

The Great Indian Bison, commonly known as Gaur, nicknamed Bravo, is the mascot of the games. The 54 Infantry Division of the Army, which is located here, has the bison as its formation sign. — Agencies

Raid rage

THIS year’s Raid de Himalaya lived up to its reputation of being India’s toughest and longest rally, testing the drivers on some of the harshest terrains.

Heavy snowfall and inclement weather forced the rally to be terminated at the halfway stage.

After completing day two from Kaza to Patseo, the participants were greeted by snowfall and alpine conditions on the Patseo-Baralach La leg of the event, forcing a halt.

Owing to the adverse conditions and not very encouraging forecast, rally organisers Himalayan Motorsports decided to end the event at Patseo.

The rally was originally planned to traverse from Shimla-Manali-Kaza-Keylong-Patseo-Leh-Srinagar-Kargil and terminate at Srinagar on October 8.

Taking into account the three completed legs, Kullu’s Sunil Rana, in a Maruti Gypsy, was declared the champion in the Xtreme four-wheeler category. This was his fourth victory on the trot.

Ashish Saurabh Maudgil (Xtreme two-wheeler) and Rajesh Chalana (adventure four-wheeler) were the
other winners.

Rallyists braved challenging conditions as they travelled through the tough terrains from Shimla to Manali on day one.

The next day was even tougher due to unexpected snowfall on the Rohtang pass. Many drivers were stuck on the narrow way, which became slippery due to the frozen snow, forcing some of them to withdraw from the event.

The rally was flagged off from Shimla on October 2. As many as 120 drivers were found fit to take part (34 in Xtreme four-wheeler, 49 in Xtreme bike and 59 in adventure trial). Only 58 of them were able to complete the rally (14 in Xtreme four-wheeler, 16 in Xtreme bike and 28 in adventure trial).

The rally was accompanied by one air force team and six army teams. — Agencies

SPORTS MAIL

Undisputed maestro

HATS off to Viswanathan Anand on becoming the world chess champion after an unbeaten run against eight of the world’s best players. There is a delicious pugnacity to the word "undisputed" being prefixed to the world champion’s title, which Anand claimed for the second time.

This is the first time that Anand has won the unified world title. It was another "Chak De" moment for Indian sports when this master strategist came up trumps at Mexico City.

The past six weeks or so have been glorious for Indian sports. India have won the Nehru Cup (football), Asia Cup (men’s hockey) and the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. Moreover, Pankaj Advani clinched the world billiards title and Tania Sachdev emerged the winner in the Asian Chess Championship.

With the recent success in various disciplines, the government should treat all sports on a par and encourage the players without any bias. Partiality or favouritism would be suicidal for Indian sports.

Dilbag Rai
Chandigarh

Superb win

Congratulations to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team-mates for the remarkable victory over Australia in the fourth one-day international at Chandigarh. The team management, however, needs to draw some lessons from this cliffhanger in an effort to clinch, or at least, level the seven-match series.

It’s time to make some changes in the batting order. In the absence of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa should be pushed up the order to open the innings with Sourav Ganguly. Sachin Tendulkar, who is in the twilight of his illustrious career, can be much more effective at the "two down" slot.

In the Chandigarh match, Uthappa should have been sent in after Yuvraj Singh fell. The need of the hour was to have an aggressive batsman for stepping up the scoring rate.

Compared to Rahul Dravid, Uthappa was a far better choice at that point of time. This was amply proved by the way he attacked the Australian bowling even after being sent so low down the order. These are some of the suggestions which Team India needs to consider in forthcoming fixtures.

DB Singh
Chandigarh