Does the name "Nadia Comaneci" ring a bell? No? Let's try a different name. Perhaps "Yelena Isinbayeva" might sound more familiar. While the former is the first female athlete in Olympic history to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in a gymnastic event in 1980, the latter is the only female pole vaulter to have cleared the five-metre barrier in the event and has recently been the cynosure of several tabloids and newspapers on account of both her performance and her appealing looks.
There are numerous other examples of Olympians who have carved a distinct stature for themselves by surpassing the realms of ordinary achievement in the field of sports and transcending to the extraordinary. There is Carl Lewis, who dominated track and field for almost 20 years. Muhammad Ali, known for his boxing prowess as well as his pre-match bursts of aggression on his opponents. Amongst contemporary athletes, there are Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, world record holders and legends in sprint and swimming, respectively.
There also are a few prominent Indian athletes who have brought glory to the nation from their Olympic feats. Major Dhyan Chand, considered to be one of the greatest field hockey players of all time, has led the Indian hockey team to many a victory during the mid-twentieth century era. Milkha Singh, nicknamed 'The Flying Sikh' and 'Payyoli Express' P T Usha are two other figures who have received international acclaim and reverence for their scintillating performances on the race track. And then there are sportsmen without Olympic fame but with no less skill, with the likes of Prakash Padukone (Badminton) and Geet Sethi (Billiards).
Now browse through the following list of names:
1) Sir Donald Bradman
2) Sir Garfield Sobers
3) Sir Vivian Richards
4) Sunil Gavaskar
5) Kapil Dev
I'm certain most people would recognize the cricketing legends that this list refers to. Also, compared to the time it would have taken to recognize the names cited in the preceding paragraphs, these would have been recalled to memory almost instantaneously.
There is perhaps no other sport in modern India that has ever enjoyed the same stature as cricket, which has maintained a monopoly across all sporting events in the last two decades, largely owing to the associated glamour and media coverage. It has become more than just a game; it is rather a thread that unites the whole country. Whether it be the World Cup or a clash with archrivals Pakistan, we think of a win or a loss for the Indian cricket team as our own. Victory brings jubilation; defeat spells despair. And this feeling of victory or defeat dominates the spirit of the entire nation, spanning almost all age groups and all classes of a diverse population.
The Olympics are perhaps the closest comparison to a cricket tournament that can orchestrate such a feeling within the country's people. We root for a Mary Kom or a Gagan Narang, who until yesterday, was a stranger to the general public, to bring to us an Olympic medal. With each victory and each medal come a million facebook status updates such as "Well done, Saina !" or "I knew you had it in you, Sushil !", and the like. Of course, most of these messages are put up by people who are complete strangers to boxing or badminton themselves, who would probably be tongue-tied when asked about Abhinav Bindra or Karnam Malleswari, whom they had apparently rooted for the last time. In reality, therefore, it seems we don't really care if the medal is won by a Saina Nehwal or anybody else, as long as it is won for the country; for us. We wouldn't have been as enthusiastic if it were a regular sporting tournament not encompassed by the Olympics. We probably wouldn't even have wasted our time watching the game in that case. However, the Olympics is a stage for the whole world, and we wouldn't like to be called the citizens of a country which is, by any means, inferior. And so, we cheer.
It's a pity we shall have to wait for another two years for the Cricket World Cup to elevate our spirits again. But let's hope that at least by then, the stars of this year's Olympics are not thrown into oblivion.
There are numerous other examples of Olympians who have carved a distinct stature for themselves by surpassing the realms of ordinary achievement in the field of sports and transcending to the extraordinary. There is Carl Lewis, who dominated track and field for almost 20 years. Muhammad Ali, known for his boxing prowess as well as his pre-match bursts of aggression on his opponents. Amongst contemporary athletes, there are Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, world record holders and legends in sprint and swimming, respectively.
There also are a few prominent Indian athletes who have brought glory to the nation from their Olympic feats. Major Dhyan Chand, considered to be one of the greatest field hockey players of all time, has led the Indian hockey team to many a victory during the mid-twentieth century era. Milkha Singh, nicknamed 'The Flying Sikh' and 'Payyoli Express' P T Usha are two other figures who have received international acclaim and reverence for their scintillating performances on the race track. And then there are sportsmen without Olympic fame but with no less skill, with the likes of Prakash Padukone (Badminton) and Geet Sethi (Billiards).
Now browse through the following list of names:
1) Sir Donald Bradman
2) Sir Garfield Sobers
3) Sir Vivian Richards
4) Sunil Gavaskar
5) Kapil Dev
I'm certain most people would recognize the cricketing legends that this list refers to. Also, compared to the time it would have taken to recognize the names cited in the preceding paragraphs, these would have been recalled to memory almost instantaneously.
There is perhaps no other sport in modern India that has ever enjoyed the same stature as cricket, which has maintained a monopoly across all sporting events in the last two decades, largely owing to the associated glamour and media coverage. It has become more than just a game; it is rather a thread that unites the whole country. Whether it be the World Cup or a clash with archrivals Pakistan, we think of a win or a loss for the Indian cricket team as our own. Victory brings jubilation; defeat spells despair. And this feeling of victory or defeat dominates the spirit of the entire nation, spanning almost all age groups and all classes of a diverse population.
The Olympics are perhaps the closest comparison to a cricket tournament that can orchestrate such a feeling within the country's people. We root for a Mary Kom or a Gagan Narang, who until yesterday, was a stranger to the general public, to bring to us an Olympic medal. With each victory and each medal come a million facebook status updates such as "Well done, Saina !" or "I knew you had it in you, Sushil !", and the like. Of course, most of these messages are put up by people who are complete strangers to boxing or badminton themselves, who would probably be tongue-tied when asked about Abhinav Bindra or Karnam Malleswari, whom they had apparently rooted for the last time. In reality, therefore, it seems we don't really care if the medal is won by a Saina Nehwal or anybody else, as long as it is won for the country; for us. We wouldn't have been as enthusiastic if it were a regular sporting tournament not encompassed by the Olympics. We probably wouldn't even have wasted our time watching the game in that case. However, the Olympics is a stage for the whole world, and we wouldn't like to be called the citizens of a country which is, by any means, inferior. And so, we cheer.
It's a pity we shall have to wait for another two years for the Cricket World Cup to elevate our spirits again. But let's hope that at least by then, the stars of this year's Olympics are not thrown into oblivion.
No comments:
Post a Comment