Interview Of The Week - O. P. BHARDWAJ
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‘Our sportsmen lack the will to win matches and medals for the country’

Another Olympics has come and gone. The Indian contingent failed to live up to the pre-Games hype and high expectations. But for a lone bronze medal by woman weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, the rest of the participants once again proved a big disappointment. The flicker of hope raised by Gurcharan Singh (boxing), Beenamol (athletics) or the hockey team only proved to be a misnomer in the end.
Why is a country of one billion people unable to produce even a single Olympic champion?

Om Prakash Bhardwaj, a Dronacharya Awardee in boxing who has coached the Indian teams which participated in Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics as well as in several Asian and Commonwealth Games, blames the various sports federations and its officials for India’s continued poor show at the Olympics. He spoke at length to S. Santhanam on what ails Indian sports. Excerpts.

Much was said about our contigent to Sydney. Was it all hype?
Federation officials have always been giving a rosy picture of the Indian sporting scene for their own benefits and interests. The progress of players on exposure trips abroad were magnified. The government was given a wrong picture. They (federation officials) have made it a business. For them, vote bank is more important than winning laurels and medals for the country.

If more sportspersons are sent for the Games, the merrier for the federations. It helps them send more officials. In fact, for the Sydney Games, there was an equal ratio of sportsmen and coaches in several disciplines, which was unnecessary. Only those closely connected with the game should have been sent. Does anybody care? Unfortunately, this is how the system works in this country.

What has been the government’s role in promoting sports, especially for such mega sports events?
At least for the Sydney Games, no federation can blame the government for not providing sufficient international exposure to our sportsmen. In fact, most of the teams are sent abroad more often than any teams in the past.

What is wrong with our sportsmen?
We lack the killer-instinct as well as the will to win matches and medals for the country. Patriotism in not there any more. There is no other reason for the hockey team and boxer Gurcharan to lose from winning positions. They were passive and allowed their opponents to turn the tables at the last minute. Our people lack in physical fitness and conditioning ability. The statements made by several officials prior to the Games that our sportsmen have made rapid strides have proved to be only a myth.

The IQ level of them is definitely very low compared to that of other nations. Our sportsmen still suffer from inferiority complex while facing opponents from European countries although it has been reduced to a large extent in the last 10 years. Most of them are still overawed by the occasion and the personality of ‘star’ opponents. We have to come out of it if our performance level is to improve. Olympics is no ordinary competition. It is like a war. One mistake and your entire career is ruined. The intellectual ability of a player is judged by his ability to fight against all odds. Most of our sportsmen proved misfits.

Our athletes, especially the throwers, failed miserably.
It was shocking that all of our throwers performed below their own individual marks. It was a shame. The entire country has been cheated by federation officials who did everything possible till the very last minute to send very high number of athletes for the Games. Whether any of them actually passed the qualifying marks is for everyone to judge, going by their performances Down Under. It needs a thorough probe by the government.

Do you think the right coaches, officials went with the team?
Someone who doesn’t even look like a boxer was sent as the boxing coach. At the Sydney Games, one heard of coaches and other officials being most disunited and issuing different statements. Having gone there, they should have boosted the morale of our sportsmen. But instead, every day we read stories of coaches and officials making negative statements about players. It is not the best thing to do on the eve of such a big competition. It naturally tells on the players’ performance.

The Games is over, now what.
Well, as in the earlier years, several heads will roll. But those will be of players. Officials have never been accountable in this country. They get away with anything and everything. Unless and until we make them accountable, things can not improve. The entire system needs to be revamped and a long-term schedule drawn up with the focus on training sportspersons at the grassroot level.

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