The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

No excuses or explanations, please!
By Ramu Sharma

AFTER nearly one full year’s of preparation ending generally in non-performance, it is now time for an extended dose of excuses and explanations from some of the Sydney returned competitors. The reasons advanced in a few cases are laughable to say the least. One has to be really naive to accept the statements made by some of the athletes.

Can you believe it? The weather was not suitable! The equipment was different, not the one “We were used to”. The contingent should have been sent a month in advance, like that of the USA (A wrong notion and factually incorrect. The US athletes did not reach the Olympic city a month in advance). Indian athletes are not used to running three days at a stretch( this is what was reported from Sydney). “The time difference was a problem there. Morning in India is afternoon over there (Sydney). The coach too was different. We train under a particular coach throughout the year and then for a tournament, we are asked to train under a different coach. This upsets the rhythm.” And the most classic piece of course is the theory advanced that the “athletes peaked early”. Quotable quotes? And against this is the usual fling at the Federation. “The sport is neglected. No one seems to care”.

It would be wrong to blame the athletes for making some of these excuses. They have obviously no other way of explaining away their non-performance to queries from persistent young journalists. At the same time it would be wrong to blame the press. Indians generally over-react, both to failures and success. The main reason is a lack of a sports culture. Winning and losing is what always counts. The quality of performance is nearly always overlooked , unless of course there is a medal at the end of it.

Some of the statements made by the athletes are a reflection on their understanding or lack of it of the sport and on the coaching imparted to them. The coach as such is to be blamed almost entirely if he is not able to get her or him the required equipment from the federation. To blame the equipment for non-performance is to admit one’s own inadequacy.

Gurmeet Kaur, the woman javelin thrower, while admitting that the competition was too good over there and would not have made the finals even if she had achieved her best, has resorted to an age-old excuse that the “javelin used for international meets changed a year back and in the new javelin, the grip has been advanced by a couple of inches.” Of course it has been done so and these changes are made regularly to be able to keep the javelin from going out into the stands. The weight has to be shifted. It is nothing new. And this should not be an excuse for performing poorly.

In any case the javelin she was using in India too had been fixed to standards set by the international federation. And to blame her poor performance on the Nemit javelin provided in Sydney amounts to a poor craftsman blaming the tools. She does seem to have presented a case for reimbursement of Rs 30,000 which she spent to buy two javelins. But surely the Amateur Athletics Federation of India should be able to provide proper javelins instead of forcing the athletes to buy their own. The AAFI could perhaps set the record straight on this issue.

In the days to come there will be other such reports, other excuses and the usual blame on the federation, coaches and the general lack of interest in the sports. There is very little new in Gurmeet Kaur or other athletes have been quoted as saying. It happens after every failure, whether it is the Asian Games or the Olympic Games. The scene just does not change. One however thought that the aftermath of Sydney would be different.

There were many reasons for it. One was the fact that this was, on paper and on reported performances of the athletes, the best ever athletics contingent to leave the shores. No medals were expected. There was never any question about such glory. But given the quality of performance, the timings and distances recorded, it was natural to think that Indian athletes would at least be able to make a mark, by their own standard, in the Sydney Olympics.

Just look at the pre-Sydney scene. P.T. Usha’s marks in the 100 , 200, 400 metres all but wiped off the record books. The great Milkha Singh’s 40- year-old record smashed not once but twice and not by just one man but by two people. And Shakti Singh? The strong man crossed 20 metres on more than one occasion, even broke the Asian mark with a 20.60 mt measure and very rarely had a throw under 19 mts in more than a year. What about woman discus queen Neelam J.Singh who improved with each competition and reached 62 metres plus for a best effort , promising to cross over 63 metres. She was perhaps the most consistent athlete on the Indian scene.

Never before had an Indian athletics team left the shores with so much promise and never before has it come back with almost no performance. The exception was the women’s relay squad which bettered the mark set by P.T. Usha and company in the World Cup at Rome in 1987 and to some extent Beenamol, who at least won her heat in the 400 metres. But even she could not match her Kieve effort of 51.21 sec which overshadowed P.T. Usha’s 51.61 sec. But Beenamol’s 51.51 in the heats was a creditable effort. For the rest, the less said the better. Shakti lived up to the general reputation carried by Indian strongmen that they do well only on home soil and Neelam, from whom the maximum was expected, surprisingly faltering badly.

The disappointment is all the more because the expectations were that much more. The athletes had raised such high hopes with their performances in the domestic meets that their inability to come anywhere near the home marks has really upset everyone. In due time the Amateur Athletics Federation of India will come out with its own version of why the athletes failed to perform and there is bound to be many plausable reasons and excuses.

One, however, sincerely hopes that till such time the AAFI performs the autopsy the athletes as individuals should refrain from giving their own versions of the failures. Otherwise they will lose not only their credibility but also make a big dent in the AAFI’s reputation.

The federation however has a duty to the public. It must hold a full-fledged inquiry, ask each and every athlete the reason for the failure to perform to expectations, ask their coaches at home and more importantly make a serious effort to respond meaningfully to charges of drug induced performances on the domestic front.

This rumour about drug-enhanced performances has not come from outside. The athletes themselves have been quoted in newspapers on this issue, about vitamin tablets and injections given to them by coaches. If these rumours have no roots then it is time that the AAFI comes out with a statement to that effect. By keeping quite and denying on the quiet, the AAFI is only harming the interest of athletics in India.

Big loss for Indian football
By Amardeep Bhattal

FOUR years back, I sat down to pen the obituary of a promising footballer,whose career had been cut short under tragic circumstances. He was the tall Jagmohan Singh, an Inspector in BSF, who had carved out a niche for himself through some spectacular feats at home and abroad. Like his illustrious father, the legendary Jarnail Singh whose heroics constitute a seperate chapter of Indian football, Jagmohan seemed destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. But on a cool, sombre evening of September 14,1996, Jagmohan breathed his last at Panam in Hoshiarpur. He was only 31. On September 22 a small gathering paid tributes to the departed soul at his bhog ceremony, recalling his achievements on the football ground during his short span.

Four years hence, October 14,2000, to be precise, the legendary Jarnail,aged about 65, died in Vancouver and another gathering of grief-stricken sportspersons will be held at the same place on October 22 to bid adieu to the legendary soccer star. Although the similarity of dates is sheer coincidence, yet the father-son duo did share a lot in common. When Jagmohan represented India,playing as stopper back in the SAF Games at Lahore in 1989, it was perhaps the first instance of a son occupying the same position as that of his father in the national team.

As a university student, I saw Jagmohan in action when he turned out for Panjab University in the All-India Inter-University Football Tournament at Ludhiana in the mid-eighties. Like his father, he was a pillar of strength for his team. Using his height to full advantage, Jagmohan smothered wave after wave of rival attacks in gallant rearguard action. Word about his prowess travelled far and wide and a few months later, he was selected to lead the Indian Universities' team in the National Football Championship. This was followed by a call for the north zone national camp in preparation for the Asian Games.

Jagmohan's performance in the Lahore SAF Games came in for special praise from coach Anjan Chowdhury. Stalwarts like PK Banerjee and Arun Ghosh considered him at par with experienced players like Amit Bhadra and Tarun Dey.Like Jarnail Singh,Jagmohan was all set to join Calcutta's glamour outfit, Mohun Bagan, but the deal ultimately fell through.

Like Jagmohan,his younger brother, Harshmohan,who had migrated to Canada shortly before his brother's death, was also a promising footballer. He represented Panjab University in the late eighties before leaving for Canada where he still plays soccer for a local club established by expatriates.

The motivation to play football came from their father, who was a legend by himself. Such overbearing was his influence that even till his death Jarnail Singh commanded respect from the vast multitude of soccer players and fans. During the inter-university football championship here a few years back, players of Burdwan University bowed to touch his feet before the kick off. Earlier this year, when Calcutta's glamour outfit, Mohun Bagan,visited Ludhiana to play in the National Football League, coach Subrata Bhattacharya informed his players about the presence of Jarnail Singh at Guru Nanak Stadium. There was a scramble amongst players donning the green and maroon jerseys for an introduction with the ex-Olympian, who took Mohun Bagan to dizzy heights during his decade-long stint in Calcutta beginning in 1958.

Jarnail Singh's debut in soccer was hardly surprising. When his parents shifted to Panam from Majara Dingerian in Pakistan after Partition,little did they know that they had come into the nursery of Punjab football. As a teenager, Jarnail kept himself busy with a small rubber ball on the dusty village streets of Panam. Reminisces Mr HS Nagra, a lawyer of Chandigarh: "Jarnail possessed amazing physical strength. Besides showing interest in soccer, he was also a good Punjab style kabaddi player. We studied together at RK Arya College, Nawanshahr, but due to his talent he was picked in the football team of Khalsa College, Mahilpur. Thereafter, Jarnail went on to represent Punjab XI and Khalsa Sporting Club before moving over to Calcutta's Rajasthan Club in 1957.”

During the sixties, Jarnail was one of the most outstanding defenders of the country. Be it the Durand Cup or the nationals, Jarnail's name evoked fear among the best strikers. He was known for his clean but effective tackles. During the Jakarta Asian Games, when Jarnail sustained a head injury, he also showed his prowess as a forward when he scored the match winner in the final against Korea. Having sustained a nasty cut on the forehead which required six stitches, Jarnail returned to the ground after a brief break to assist the forwardline as heading the ball would have been difficult in the defence. The decisive goal which he scored on that fateful day in the Asian Games final still serves as motivating factor for budding players.

In the nationals for the Santosh Trophy,Jarnail Singh's role in shaping the destiny of the Punjab team is a golden chapter of Punjab football. In 1970, Punjab under his able guidance, won the trophy for the first time. In 1974, Punjab again won the Santosh Trophy defeating favourites Bengal 6-0 in a pulsating final at Jalandhar.Jarnail is also the only Indian to have been selected as captain of the Asian All-Star team in 1966.

Jarnail's selection for a desk job in the Punjab Sports Department proved to be a turning point in his life. He lost zeal, although his interest in the game remained intact. Like the legendary Gerd Mueller and George Best, Jarnail also hit the bottle towards the fag end of his career, but sadly there was none to dissuade him, unlike the public appeal issued in England to restrict the entry of George Best into English bars and pubs. This was partly due to his overbearing influence. He could only be listened to, not taught or advised — for he was the greatest name in Indian football.

Veteran strays into stardom
By Chander Parkash

BORN few days before Independence, Mr G.S. Dhindsa, Additional Superintendent Engineer, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) has brought laurels to Punjab. He won the gold medal in the 5 km walk in the 50 plus age group in the All-India Veterans’ Athletic Meet at Bhopal recently.

Mr Dhindsa never went to the ground as he remained busy with his studies since childhood. After school, he graduated in electrical engineering in 1969.

In 1971, he joined Punjab State Electricity Board as Sub-Divisional Engineer and remained posted at Attari in Amritsar district. In 1973, he came in the local GNDTP. He remained occupied with his routine life and never thought about sports.

A few years later, he started going to the ground for his morning walk to keep himself physically fit. During those days, he was not inclined towards any sports activity.

However, the turning point in his life came when he was asked by his colleagues to participate in the All-India State Electricity Board Athletic Meet held here in 1991. Mr Dhindsa, then 43, participated in 1500 and 800 metre races and came second in the former winning a silver medal.

After that there was no looking back. Mr Dhindsa started with various exercises in the morning and evening and decided to participate in every veterans championship.

In 1994, Mr Dhindsa won silver medals in 800 metres and 1500 metres in the Punjab Veterans’ Athletic Meet at Faridkot. The second position in these games made Mr Dhindsa a hardcore sportsman.

In 1997, Mr Dhindsa stood sixth in 1500 metres and 800 metres races in the National Veterans’ Athletic Championship held at Kanpur. After this championship, he decided to change his event and decided to participate in the 5 km walk.

He studied various records set by veterans in the 5 km walk and started regular practice in the GNDTP ground. Then he participated in the 1500 metres and 5 km walk in the North Zone Veterans’ Athletic Meet in 1999 and stood third in 1500 metres.

Mr Dhindsa then approached the coach of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala and trained under him. He started practising as per instructions of the coach to rewrite the Asian record of 27.15 minutes held by a Malaysian.

However, he managed a timing of 28.02 minutes and won the gold medal in the All-India Veterans’ Athletic Meet. Mr Dhindsa nevertheless is aiming at erasing the Asian record in future.

Journey to Olympics not easy
From Sanjiva Wijesinha in Sydney

THEY have dubbed the Sydney Olympics the Dames’ Games.

The year 2000 marked the centenary of women’s participation at Olympics — and a milestone for south Asia’s women athletes who have, until now, been conspicuous by their absence from the Olympic podium.

Sri Lankan sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, capturing the bronze in the 200 metres, and Indian weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, who also earned a bronze, became the first south Asian women since the Games began in 1896 to achieve Olympic glory.

Jayasinghe, wearing number 3058 and running in lane six, was just a hundredth of a second behind silver medallist Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas who clocked 22.27 seconds. Marion Jones of the United States, finishing in 21.84 seconds, captured gold.

Jayasinghe and her competitors are part of a growing trend of female participation in the modern Olympics which began in 1896. Jayasinghe’s journey to the Olympic podium was not an easy one.

She grew up in the tiny town of Warakapola in rural Sri Lanka where she was lucky to be spotted at the age of 15 by the sports teacher at her school receiving expert training from coach Derwin Perera, she began winning district and national competitions with increasing regularity. She currently holds the national records for both the 100 m and 200m. Sri Lankans, however, are used to seeing their top athletes shining in the local scene and then fading into oblivion when faced with international competition.

But Jayasinghe stunned the world and became a national heroine when she ran second in the 200 m, clocking 22.23 seconds, at the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s 1997 World Championships in Athens. She became the first Sri Lankan to win a medal at a global track event since Duncan White’s Olympic silver in the 400-metre hurdles in London 52 years ago. This achievement, claims Jayasinghe, was when her troubles began.

At a crowded news conference after her Sydney success, she told the world’s media that after she returned home from Athens, no less a person than the Minister of Sports S.B. Dissanayake, started sexually harassing her.

“After I won the World Championship in 1997, the Minister wanted sex with me.” she said. “I refused. I told him I am married. I have a husband. He then told me if you can’t come with me, I am going to get you.”

Jayasinghe claims that the Minister then set in motion a diabolical plan to have her discredited. In March, 1998, some government officials came to her home and said she had to take an unscheduled drug test.”

“I said ‘no problem’. I knew I was a clean athlete”, she said. “I took two bottles, filled them, closed them and told them to give me the seals. But they said, ’Don’t worry, you don’t need to worry about the seals’”.

Jayasinghe, who had taken drug tests several times before, persisted.

“I know I have to give A and B samples, they have to be sealed, and I have to be given a signed letter. When they refused I told them if no one was going to sign I wouldn’t give them the samples.”

In a pre-emptive strike, Jayasinghe contacted her lawyer who wrote to the IAAF explaining what had happened. A month later, her urine sample was reported to contain anabolic steroid, a banned drug.

“I don’t know who did what,” Jayasinghe says of the positive test, “but somebody did something. I never tested positive for drugs by the IAAF before, only after the minister got mad.”

She immediately went to court and after a lengthy legal battle was cleared by the IAAF.

But the damage was done, and the Sports ministry made her pay heavily. Her official funding was cut off and she was prevented from training at the ministry’s special facilities. She even says there were death threats to her and her husband, Dhammika Nandakumara.

She fled to Los Angeles where a group of Sri Lankans made arrangements for her to train under Tony Campbell, a top athletics coach. Campbell arranged several runs for her in international events, which provided that much-needed competitive edge to prepare herself for the big event in Sydney.

When Jayasinghe arrived in Sydney she confidently stated that she would not only run her personal best at the Olympics, but that she would also win a medal. Few at the time would have treated the little Asian woman’s statement with even an iota of credibility.

But winning a medical is exactly what she did — and it has been a cause for pride and joy for virtually everyone in her home country, including its President. Except, perhaps, for a certain Minister of Sports.

— Gemini News

What former champions do
By Anand Khurana

SINCE tennis is such a physically demanding sport, life at the peak can be comparatively short compared to, say those of golfers, cricketers or boxers. But when a player’s career in tennis ends many stay involved in the game as coaches, operators of tennis schools and camps, media commentators or even as administrators.

A host of former champions have taken to coaching top-level stars — Brad Gilbert’s association with Andre Agassi being a prime example. Many have offered their expertise to assist youth development programmes in their home countries as Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg have recently done, or have established flourishing academies like John Newcombe or Fred Stolle. As Edberg says: “When you have achieved as much as I managed to do in tennis, I feel it is important to give something back, and what better way then through a junior programme?”

What players get up to when they realise the time has come to hang up their rackets provides a fascinating list of new life directions, from John McEnroe’s decision to open an art gallery in New York to Margaret Court’s choice of a life in the church. McEnroe has long been interested in art and, while on the playing circuit, he spent as much time as possible between matches touring the galleries of the cities where he was appearing, building and keeping his knowledge in readiness for the day when he wanted to go into business.

McEnroe is in great demand as a TV commentator. He made his debut at the Australian Open last year, thus completing a full hand of Grand Slam tournaments to which he now lends his impressive gift of knowledgeable gab. Commentating about tennis for the media is popular amongst former greats, especially when they are appearing at scenes of their former triumphs, like Virginia Wade and Ann Jones at Wimbledon, John Newcombe and Pat Cash at the Australian, Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte at Roland Garros and Chris Evert and McEnroe at the US Open. Our very own Vijay Amrithraj is one of the most eloquent and knowledgeable TV commentators at major championships around the globe besides producing films in Hollywood with his brothers Anand and Ashok and running a tennis academy in Chennai.

Many work for TV only when the Grand Slams or other major tennis events like the Davis Cup or Federation Cup come along, but some like Cliff Drysdale and Frew McMillan grace the circuit virtually year-round. McMillan, one of the most likable former competitors, has also lent his skills to the captaincy of his home country, South Africa, in the Davis Cup competition, just as Arthur Ashe once did for the USA and Yannick Noah does for France, not only in the men’s team competition but also in the women’s event, the Federation Cup. It is a cherished accomplishment that in the space of 12 months Noah captained France to victory in both the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup. “Being the captain of our successful Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams has given me some of the most exciting and memorable moments of my tennis career,” says Noah.

Sue Barker is another who has achieved much, turning her image as a blonde with a ferocious forehand into a reputation as a television sports presenter with expertise as she fronted BBC programmes such as Grandstand and the Olympic coverage. Then there is the administrative attraction for former champions. While Manuel Santana, winner of Wimbledon in 1966, has become the ‘father’ of the armada of Spanish players who nowadays throng the top hundred in the men’s rankings, another Wimbledon winner, Jan Kodes, the 1973 champion, was, until recently, the President of the Czech Federation.

However, the winning of a major title is not a prerequisite for a successful administrator. Philippe Chatrier, a notable but not outstanding Davis Cup competitor for France became one of the finest leaders in the sports’ history as President of the French Tennis Federation and President of the International Tennis Federation. The former Romanian Davis Cup player Lon Tiriac is another example of someone who has developed from a comparatively successful player into a consummate behind-the-scenes operator, organiser and promoter. Tiriac attributes his business acumen to the need to be sharp-witted on the tennis court. “Having played doubles with someone like Nastase makes you appreciate that some business problems are not too bad after all,” he comments with a small smile.

On the women’s side, Billie Jean King, Fed Cup captain of the USA team, has always been associated with the struggle for recognition and betterment. Pam Shriver has shown a wonderful facility for the organisational requirements of tennis. Her views are always much sought after, not least at the Baltimore Orioles baseball club, of which she is a part owner. The intricacies of business have attracted Ivan Lendl, who has a share in the Hartford Whalers ice hockey team but one of the most renowned ventures into business was Bjorn Borg. In Borg’s case, the venture was a disastrous one, though to his credit he has persevered and in recent years has made more of a go of his clothing and own-name company.

— A.K. Features

SPORT MAIL

Indian defeat self-inflicted

IN the ICC Knockout Tournament in Nairobi the Indian team exhibited its batting, bowling and fielding prowess to defeat Australia and South Africa to enter the final. But top teams eventually tumbled out and the underdogs won. The Kiwis, who were lowly placed, humbled both Pakistan and India to lift the cup. In the final, Ganguly and Sachin gave the team a dream start. But the middle order could not capitalise on it. Good bowling and agile fielding troubled the Indian batsmen who failed to score despite ideal conditions. Our bowling and fielding left much to be desired. Chris Cairns, the architect of the marvellous Kiwi victory, was cool, calculating and strokeful enough to shatter our plans. We are ourselves responsible for the debacle.

Karnail Singh
Ranjit Sagar Dam

As India created an upset by beating Australia and South Africa on way to the final in the ICC Tournament at Nairobi, New Zealand created another major upset by beating Pakistan in the semifinals and India in the final. Though there are no big names in New Zealand team, yet everyone contributed towards the title triumph. India lost the advantage of a brilliant start given by Tendulkar and Ganguly. New Zealand, on the other hand, after a poor start built their innings in a professional manner to reach the desired target. Chris Cairns played a marvellous innings mixing caution with aggression. India failed both in batting and bowling in the closing stages.

Ved Prakash
Kaithal

III

Heartiest congratulations to the New Zealand team for the victory over Pakistan in the ICC Knockout Tournament. The Kiwi batsmen cut Pakistan bowling to shreds to win by four wickets. Shayne O’Connor, who took five wickets for just 46 runs, deserves special praise. For Pakistan, Saeed Anwar hit the second successive ton in the tournament but he could not do anything alone. Roger Twose and Macmillan contributed a lot towards the Kiwi victory.

Ankit Arora
Rohtak

Jarnail Singh

The news of the demise of soccer legend Jarnail Singh left soccer lovers grief stricken. With his death a glorious chapter of Indian football has come full circle. Jarnail Singh was a towering personality in Indian football who, due to his sheer talent and killer-instinct represented the country in the Rome Olympics in 1960. He left an indelible mark at the Jakarta Asian Games in 1962, when captaining India, he scored the winning goal in the final. He was a player-cum-coach of very high standards. It is a pity that the lofty standards set by Jarnail Singh have fallen and India are no longer a football force to reckon with in Asia. It will be befitting tribute to him if something concrete is done to lift the Indian soccer from the morass into which it has fallen.

Tarsem S. Bumrah
Batala