National Game: Should it be hockey, kabaddi or wrestling?

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, june 20

Hockey started bringing India sporting glory when the country was still not independent. In sentiment at least, hockey became India’s national sport. Now Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to officially name hockey the National Game. Orissa will host this year’s hockey World Cup and in a first such deal, the state will also sponsor the national teams. In his letter to the PM, Patnaik wrote: “…while reviewing the preparations, I was surprised and shocked to know that what is popularly known as the National Game, hockey, has in fact never been notified as our National Game.”

“Hence I am sure you will agree with the crores of hockey loving fans of our country — that hockey truly deserves to be notified as our National Game. This will be a fitting tribute to the great hockey players who have made our country proud. It will also inspire our future generations,” he added.

What about indigenous sports?

Hockey, like many other sports, was introduced to India by the British colonialists. Patnaik’s letter has opened a debate over whether hockey should be notified as the National Game, or whether this honour should go to an indigenous Indian sport such as kabaddi or kho-kho.

The Indian hockey team has won eight gold medals — the last of which was at the 1980 Moscow Games — and one silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics. But results in the recent past, including at the Olympics and World Championships, have been below-par.

Past greats like former hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay and Ashok Kumar, son of hockey legend Dhyan Chand and member of the 1975 World Cup winning team, welcomed Patnaik’s pitch. 

“As far as I know hockey is and has been our National Game because of the number of Olympic medals we have won. But if Odisha CM has written the letter then it must be true that it hasn’t been notified so I welcome this move,” he said.

Kumar, who scored the winning goal in the 1975 World Cup final, said it was better late than never. “Growing up, hockey was the game for the masses. Hockey was the only positive for our young country after Independence and thereafter. Birth anniversary the of late Dhyan Chand is celebrated as our National Sports Day so hockey has to be our National Game,” he added.

What about Kabaddi?

However, wrestling and kabaddi players countered Patnaik’s suggestion, saying that only s sport native to India should be notified as India’s National Game.

“Hockey may have won so many medals, but are they winning these days? I tell you this, we have been winning the Asian Games gold medal since 1990, that is nine gold medals in a row,” Randhir Singh, Arjuna Award-winner and countless national title winner as both player and coach in kabbadi, said.

“Kabaddi should be announced as the National Game as this has been played since the old days,” he added.

Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, winner of a bronze medal at the London Olympics, pitched for his own sport to be made the National Game.

“Wrestling bouts had been organised since the time of Mahabharata. Nothing precedes our game. It is our tradition. We have won Olympic medals also. If any sport deserves that tag, it is wrestling,” Dutt said.