Finally, Olympics season 31 comes to an end. The athletes leave the Olympic village to meet again and try living to the motto- Faster, Higher, Stronger- Together. The amount of space and time on media dedicated to the games will keep decreasing exponentially. Soon, we will get tired of talking about it.
Olympics season 32; Paris is too far away in 2024. Elimination or qualifying’s yet to start. So, it will have to wait till July- August 2024 to trend.
Olympics are the reality show, not the games are played at multiple levels and formats with no qualifiers or elimination round. One where athletes dedicate efforts and energy into qualifying and preparation. Two, the sports bodies and sponsors rarely do what is demanded of them. And three – the netizen and citizen show of a country. The armchair experts in everything- from sprint to swimming, from decathlon to hurdles, and boxing to wrestling. The game of hard punch in commenting, mixing politics, case, and religion with celebration and result. The moment marketing and the run for taking the credit. The post-show- suggesting what is wrong and how it can be tackled. Repeating what has been written, said, read, and discussed during and after every Olympic fiasco. Oh! Sorry, we managed 7 Medals this time round. The ratio of athletes qualifying for quarterfinal and above to the whole contingent was better than before.
Everywhere, you read the story of hardship. Is that a necessary qualification? What kind of pleasure do we get reading these stories of hardship? What does it say about us as a nation? Have we not tired of fairy-tale coincidences? Of herculean persistence and passion? Nothing sounds new. Maybe, someone is leveraging this poverty, hurdles, and barriers in creating mentally tough and ambitiously hungry athletes. Is that our solution to get more wins. Otherwise, how come the country yet lacks the infrastructure, process, and grassroots sports facilities.
There is more discussion on why PM is calling the sportsperson. And if he does so, why is he on speakerphone. I fail to understand. What I understand less is the giant face of PM instead of the sportspersons in every banner and stage. Someone needs to do a reality check and put the proper weightage. I hope that nation knows who the PM is, and he knows that it should have been Major Dyanchand’s face on the poster. Then who is approving such blatant miscommunication?
Every member of the women’s hockey team full of grit and determination has a background story to share. That Aditi missed a medal- not knowing she was punching far above her weight. Every-one was. No one questions why she stayed at a hotel 90 minutes away from the golf course- when it is known for early morning starts? Why were some athletes’ personal coaches not given national status to be with the athletes when they fought their biggest battle?
And then we blame cricket for polarisation. The myopic sports federations and the blind journalists, and the politicians fail to see a learning opportunity. Try to find out what happened? How did the tide turn? How have we succeeded in cricket? What is happening at the grassroots? What are the tournaments and academies from where the next crop of talent is ready to be harvested? No cricket may not be the best example, but there is a lot that can be learned. And doing a part of it would itself make a huge change.
Maybe the celebrity sportsperson taking the brands to court should give a flip. However, I believe moment marketing criticised by many, maybe doing sports something good. Think about it. Success is a success when celebrated. When everyone wants to ride the moment, some realise the existence of future possibilities. And maybe the penny drops. However, it must be done within limits.
I do hope we snap out of these coincidences and unexpected results. Yes, sports have unpredictability built-in. But there still must be some ranges of operation. Send a smaller contingent of officials, provide the best of coaches, infrastructure and equipment, and support.
Want corporate support. Give the organisation supporting a sportsperson- winning at any international event business, tax advantage, or other such advantages.
Want a ridiculous suggestion. 22-23 take your potential stars and coaches to Paris to practice. Pick a wider set now and invest behind them. But, I know the sports ministry, federations have their own way of doing things.
Soon, the media and social media will also slowly simmer down their comments on the subject. The causes for good or bad performance will be forgotten. The felicitation will be over, and the so-called sports-loving nation will go back to its daily routine. The brand will forget the athletes they honoured. The moment marketing will search for another moment.
The sportsperson missing the glory will carry their nightmare moments, realising when, where and which moment the glorification slipped out of their hands. Everyone being so moralistic, will only talk of reaching the Olympics and performing at the most significant sports arena.
Avoid announcing awards and rewards when the games are on. The way they play for the national pride and the medal, coming from the struggle they have seen, don’t distract them. Declare well in advance. Create a body where people who announce such awards deposit the money within 15 days. The body releases it to the sportsperson in the next 15 days. There are no surprises; few are still waiting for the cash rewards of the last Olympics. A transaction that should not take more than few clicks.
No one remembers the people who missed the medal. Are they not your best and still potential. If sports need to go many levels up, every stakeholder must have a process and complete dedication. To do so, one needs to take care of the fear of athletes. The life after medal and without a medal. Take care of it at the Olympics and at the national stage.
A junior champion dedicating life to sports misses on studies. Never sure how life will phase out later. Can there be some insurance if the sportsperson has been the nation’s best for a certain period?
If nothing else- take a printout of this and reread it on 11th August when the Paris Olympics end. Do you anything would have changed?
Blog/053/2021/
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