India at the Olympics.. should we celebrate?

So you think, India has shone like dazzling star on the Olympic horizon? I'll beg to differ slightly. I am proud of what Abhinav, Sushil and Vijender have achieved to bring glory for the nation, but I am sure their hardwork will not ignite any major revolutions to promote sports in a nation starved for heroes. Soon, it will be time for the Olympians to leave the stage and the for the next 4 years, our dear cricketers supported by the supremely talented Sania Mirza will hog the limelight.

Let me put forth a question. How much of Malleshwari did u see once the dust settled on her Olympic victory? How much of Rajvardhan Rathore did you follow? How many knew Abhinav Bindra before he hit the bullseye in Beijing?

Suma Shirur, a super talented sportswoman, whom I personally met, was without a coach before she left for Athens in 2004. She is the current world record holder in 10M rifle shooting (400/400). She stood 8th in the finals in Athens. Can you imagine what she would have done if provided a good quality coach and world-class training facilities.

There are many untold stories like Suma Shirur, that you and I are not aware of. But instead of giving the deserving atheletes an oppurutunity we turn our backs on them, only to cuss at them every 4 years, when they fail to bring us a medal. Whom do we blame? The Athelete? Us? The government? The media? Pakistan?

For a nation that is rated as one of the fastest growing economies, the Olympics is a perfect stage to showcase our prowess. Our GDP is just one factor to guage our rise. Sports success, Military powers, Scientific advances, Infrastructural improvements.. so many parameters to caliber a nations growth.

A simple stat that I discussed with my good friend Abhishek the other day. The top 4 growing economies of the world, labelled as BRIC! Find alongside the medals won so far.
B= Brazil:10
R=Russia:53
I=India:3??
C=China:83

Let us add another nation and make it BRICK!
K=Korea:26

This BRIC and BRICK is not made up by me, it is a thorough analysis done by Goldman Sachs.

Hereis the article to the BRIC study(pretty interesting).

Should we be celebrating our success, or dwell on the reasons why we are not winning more medals.

Please dont tell me, that we dont have the talent. I can name atleast 10 atheletes who if trained well and groomed for the 2012 games, will surely bring us glory. But who will provide them support. Support does not mean 2 crore on winning 1 medal, support means standing by one's side through their good and bad times. Ask Suma Shirur!

I have always raised the 'One-single-astroturf-in-mumbai' issue a zillion times. But one other interesting incident was when i visisted the Chhatrapati Shivaji sports complex in Balewadi, Pune. That place was in a mess. It kind of symbolizes India's thirst for success in sports. Zilch!

Last heard, that stadium was being re-done for the Youth Commonwealth Games in October 2008. Once the games are over, the shrubs will grow again, the rust will set in and the facility will be a Jurassic park in the midst of Hinjewadi, the IT park of Pune. Quite Ironical, aint it?

Cheers,
Ashley