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| SPORT TRIBUNE | Saturday, June 3, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
Players too have a responsibility By Ramu Sharma The recent developments in women’s hockey have come as a big shock to the followers of the sport. Just imagine key players keeping away from the cap called to select the team for the World Cup citing domestic reasons and the federation’s helplessness to do anything about it. Punishing the erring players afterwards is a different matter but the damage done to India’s hopes in the World Cup is something irreparable. Why is Davis Cup so special? Tennis world will miss Courier “Tower of Power” |
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Players too have a responsibility The recent developments in women’s hockey have come as a big shock to the followers of the sport. Just imagine key players keeping away from the cap called to select the team for the World Cup citing domestic reasons and the federation’s helplessness to do anything about it. Punishing the erring players afterwards is a different matter but the damage done to India’s hopes in the World Cup is something irreparable. For the record four players — Sita Gosain, Pritam Rani Siwich, Manjinder Kaur and Sandeep Kaur — had stayed away from the final camp at Patiala, citing domestic reasons. The effect on the team was devastating and India finished last out of the 12 participating teams in the World Cup at Milton Keynes, England, in March. The federation apparently tried to persuade at least two of them, Sita Gosain and Pritam Rani, to return to the side and even kept two additional air tickets ready in the hope of forcing a change of heart. That proved to be futile gesture though one must admire the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation for their efforts to save the situation. The absence of the key players proved a disaster and the miserable display at Milton Keynes, against all pre-tournament calculations even among international experts, had been a hot topic of debate leading to a demand for action against the four players. The Executive Committee which met in Delhi debated at length and there was obviously a majority view that the players should be slapped with at least a minimum of three years suspension. In the end the Executive Committee settled on what appears to be a more pragmatic approach and appointed a fact-finding committee to look into the matter before taking any drastic action. The committee is expected to report back to the Executive in a month’s time. The boycott of the camp by the players was viewed with concern during a panel discussion among coaches and officials before the Executive Meeting and there appeared to be unanimity among them that the players had let down the country and should be punished. Former national coach Balkishen’s statement urging the suspension of the players was even read out. It was at this meeting that another serious note was introduced when coach Bhangu disclosed that he and his family had been receiving threatening calls prior to and even after the Milton Keynes tournament. This is a serious matter and should be treated as such. Hockey is just another game and losing and winning is a part of it. If what coach Bhangu has experienced is true than there is more to the episode than meets the eye. Women’s hockey, despite its limited scope, has made great strides in recent years and the fact that the IWHF regularly conducts competitions at junior and senior level and Indian teams have made quite an impression in the Asian Games and Asia Cup at both senior and junior stages are indications of everything going in the right direction. Irrespective of the disaster at Milton Keynes, Indian women have done well by reaching the final of the Asia Cup in Delhi, where they lost to the Koreans whom they had beaten in the league. And more recently, the junior girls did well enough to win a bronze medal at the Junior Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur. It is a pity that the Executive Committee meeting to discuss the fiasco at Milton Keynes was held about the same time the junior women were making an impression in Kuala Lumpur. While one cannot wish away the happenings before the World Cup at Milton Keynes, the whole episode does give a feeling that despite the friendly atmosphere and the bonhomie atmosphere in the team, there was obviously some under-current of defiance and unhappiness among the players. The fact that of the four players involved, three are ex-India captains and one of them is an Arjuna Awardee makes the issue even more regrettable. What possibly could have been the provocation for these four women, all of whom have rendered great service to the cause of women’s hockey in India? Not that this is an attempt to absolve them of any fault but it is strange that these four women should have done what they did. One thing is sure that the IWHF was aware of what was happening. It is believed that Mrs Vidya Stokes even spoke to Sita Gosain on the phone and tried to
persuade her to change her mind. One must appreciate the President’s efforts to solve the crisis though it was not perhaps the best approach. A number of theories have been floated and one of them, perhaps the most logical one, is that the four players had somehow come to know that at least one among them would not be selected for the World Cup. Hence the approach, either all four or none for the World Cup. This theory has a lot of takers since the federation’s last-minute efforts were directed to get just two of the players, Sita Gosain and Pritam Rani, on the plane to Milton Keynes. The federation at least was clear enough in what it really wanted to make the World Cup team better functional. And there is no denying that the presence of Sita Gosain and Pritam Rani would have certainly transformed the team in the competition at Milton Keynes. It is a pity that the players chose “boycott” as a way to register their protest. By doing so they have undone all the good they have contributed so far. Senior players should always be an example to the younger lot and they must also remember that for is something which comes and goes. It is not permanent. The team and the country comes first. One sincerely hopes that the fact finding committee comes up with the right answers not only about the reasons leading to the boycott of the final camp by the four players but also reported threats to coach Bhangu’s family. And more importantly the fact-finding committee should clear the air about the rumours that attempts were made to change the coach. That is something not on. The IWHF has behaved in a very mature manner over this issue. If at all it has faulted it has done so on the milder side. It could have acted tough and slapped suspensions. One hope the players too realise their responsibilities and respond in a like manner. |
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Why is Davis Cup so special? Vijay Amrithraj represented India in Davis Cup from 1970 until 1988 with a record of 45 wins to 28 losses. He was a part of the Indian team that took them to the final, first in 1974 and then again, in 1987. The ever-smiling Tamilian now settled in the USA spoke to the author on various issues. The following are excerpts from the interview — Question: Looking forward to the next 100 years, how do you see the future of the Davis Cup ? Answer:
There are a lot of moves that are being made to anticipate a change, like perhaps playing it over two years or every four years, like the Olympic Games or reducing the format, and a variety of other issues because of clash of dates and so on. I would completely dissuade the people responsible from making any change in the Davis Cup. I think it needs to happen every year, I think the format is perfect, the elite 16 team World Group is right because it gives everybody the chance to play. A Davis Cup match for Nigeria is as important a thing as it is for India as it is for other countries that are smaller than the United States or some of the Western nations. I don’t think it should be reduced from five sets to three sets because I really think that the present format should remain. Perhaps reducing it to play a tie break in the first four sets is acceptable, not because of choice but perhaps because of television. But under all circumstances it must be played every year. Q: As a Davis Cup competitor what is your most vivid recollection ? A:
Certainly two things come to my mind right away. One in 1974, I led India to the final and then we defaulted to South Africa because of their apartheid policies at that time, which is probably my greatest disappointment. But as an individual, as a human being, and certainly as an Indian, it was absolutely the right thing to do because at that time we were dealing with a country’s life as opposed to just another Davis Cup match. And as much as I wanted to play and win it for my country our not playing that match did, in a small way, highlight and help in changing the situation. We had to wait for 13 years before I led India to the final again in 1987 when we went down to Sweden. Our biggest match came in that year when we could have easily lost to Argentina. We were down two matches to one going into the fourth day and I was down two sets to love and 0-3 in the third, and then two match points down, but eventually won in five sets to keep India in the rubber when we ended up winning the fifth match. Then we were again down against Australia but beat them in Sydney, which was probably our best effort because we had one player barely in the top 50 and I was on my way to retirement. I was perhaps the only playing captain at the time, or since then. Q: Any pleasant memories as a captain ? A:
I was not a non-playing captain, I was always a playing captain. So I never sat out of the match, I was very much in it all the time. But, it added a greater dimension to what I was doing because often there was a time when my other singles player was playing the first match and I would have to sit in the captain’s chair and then come back and play the second match, which wasn’t easy to do. It was a huge responsibility but I took great pride in it and I always felt that Davis Cup did more for me as an individual than any other event in the sport as far I was concerned see now, what’s the perspective. Q: Now as a TV commentator, what do you that you’re getting of Davis Cup that you didn’t see before ? A: I am now able to see from a visual standpoint and not get totally immersed in the emotional standpoint of being on the court. Now you’re able to see a lot of things that you perhaps never saw earlier because one was so focused and concentrated on the job at hand. You can almost feel what is going through the minds of the players on the court in situations where you might have been. I try to relate that to the audience, what the player might be thinking at that time, at a critical stage in the match. This way you are able to impart a little bit more than just commentating on what might have been. Q: You mean, it’s like an insight.... A:
Absolutely, and you’re really able to get to the meat of it. And people who understand the game appreciate that very much, and people who don’t, we’re able to clarify a lot of things to them as if they’re watching it for the first time. Q: What appeals to you most about the Davis Cup competition, what is it that makes it so special to you ? A:
It’s undoubtedly the only team competition in the world of any significance. I’ve always said it makes a man out of a boy very quickly - see Vishal Uppal’s performance against the Koreans this year. There is no greater feeling for a tennis player than to represent his country in the Davis Cup. It’s not only a great honour but a great responsibility. Tennis has always been an individual sport and to be a part of a four man team with a captain and to be able to share the joys and sorrows of winning and losing as a team is quite unique, which you never get in an individual match. |
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Tennis world will miss Courier CHAMPIONS come and champions go, but there may never be one quite like Jim Courier again. Jim Courier, who won four grand slam titles in the 1990s, retired in May after a 13-year professional tennis career. The strongly-built American changed the face of men’s tennis, bringing power to the forefront of the game with a powerful forehand. He gave a new name to power tennis as well as changed the training regimen of his succeeding generation with his marine boot camp-style workouts. Courier, also known for his baseball caps and powerful forehand, won the French Open twice (1991 and ‘92) and the Australian Open twice (1992 and ‘93). His five five-set Davis cup victories is an American record, and the USA was 13-1 when he played on the team, including championships in 1992 and 1995. Courier was ranked No. 1 in the world for 58 weeks during the ‘90s and was one of six men in the
open era to reach the finals of all four grand slams. Courier captured 23 career singles titles, the fourth highest among active players. He ranks fifth among active players in overall match victories with 506. Courier was ranked No. 1 for 58 weeks, a record second only to Pete Sampras among active players. The 29-year-old Courier’s decision to retire was six months in the making and came after he had fought his way back from a debilitating arm injury in 1997. After his return to the game, he was always struggling to regain his top form. His only title since the return came on April 25. His last title came in April 1998, when he beat Michael Chang in Orlando, Florida. In between, he also lost to some unknown and unfancied players. He was definitely aware of the decline in his stature as a player, which was reflected in his statement of contentment made at the time of announcement of retirement. “I wouldn’t trade anything for one more title, one more match won or lost.” That indeed speaks of a tennis player who retired gracefully after giving his very best to the game. |
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“Tower of Power” They don’t call Indo-Canadian Sammy Toora “Tower of Power” for nothing. The New Delhi-born well-known powerlifter who has been racking up victories in gyms in the Canadian province of British Columbia again took first place at the 2000 Provincial Powerlifting Championships. In taking first place, Toora, who competed in the 198 lb. (90 kg at 2.2 pounds to a kg) class, lifted a combined total of 1,433 lb. — squat 518, bench press 385 and deadlift 530. He also lifted the heaviest bench press overall in the meet, ranking him second in British Columbia. Toora began working out at a very young age and competed in his first ever powerlifting competition in 1983. From there he went on to win numerous championships in his 67.5 kg weight class in India, both at the state and the national level. After his move to Canada in 1988, staying focused on his favourite sport became difficult because he had to make a living and couldn’t do the heavy training needed to remain competitive in the sport. But with the support of his family, especially his wife Neelam and his parents, Toora remained committed to the sport by working out and returned to heavy training in January 1995. Eight months later, he competed in his first Canadian competition and was placed second. From that point on he knew that he was destined to become a champion. That moment came in the spring of 1998 when Toora took first place at the British Columbia Championships. He has gone on to dominate his weight class at the championships, winning three years in a row.
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Involve ex-internationals in decision-making IT is not a coincidence that a country of one billion people has not been able to produce champions barring a few exceptions. A look at the office-bearers of all sports associations will reveal the domination of non-sportsmen in these bodies. Those who gave their blood and sweat to bring honour to the country in sports are either made to sit outside or given a minor representation where they hardly influence the decision-making process. It is not enough to brood over bad performances after every Olympics or any major championship and then keep quiet till the next event. This is how the story of Indian sports has been ever since we started participating in international events. The government or the associations have not been able to understand the requirement at the international level and their response has been inadequate over the years. The experience of ex-internationals has not been put to proper use and the same story is repeated every year. In this backdrop the recent announcement of the Punjab Chief Minister to involve outstanding internationals in advising the government and sports associations about the measures required to enhance the level of sports in the state in praiseworthy. Perhaps this is the first time that a Chief Minister has shown such deep concern about sports. Ajinder Kaur Match-fixing Every day allegations concerning cricketers involved in match-fixing are being made. Until recently Kapil Dev was considered the ultimate in cricket but now fingers are being raised against him. Surprisingly, there is no definite denial about these allegations. It is pathetic that during his interview on TV a few days back he wept, but this will not do. He should put up his defence in a better and effective way. The last word in this drama is that of the government. The BCCI should be dissolved forthwith as it has not been able to perform its functions effectively. Cricket should be banned for a period of two years or till the mess clears up. Ujagar Singh Discrimination The non-inclusion of young allrounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi, hero of two junior World Cups, in the team for the Asia Cup is very sad. I think the selectors have no consideration for his outstanding performance in the previous two junior World Cups. In the first World Cup he was the captain and hero, and in the second junior World Cup he was ‘man of the match’ in the final. His performance was highlighted not only by the Indian media but even by the world media. Coming to domestic cricket, besides scoring a double century against star-studded Delhi, he has been continuously scoring centuries during the past 2-3 years in the Ranji Trophy matches. The selectors just ignored him by saying that his name was considered. How has Amit Bhandari, been preferred? Pritpal Singh |
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