Sushil Kumar tussling for Rio Olympics is a punch in his face
Sport minus drama and excitement is dull as ditchwater. Yet, when all the action happens beyond the field of play and still makes headlines, one tends to wonder if the effort is worth it.
In the week gone by when Sushil Kumar and Narsingh Yadav grabbed headlines and even pushed IPL news to the background, there are many lessons to be learnt.
Yes, Sushil has a lot of well-wishers but his aggressive foray into social media has only boomeranged.
It is one thing for sporting superstars to be on Twitter and Facebook and generate a large number of followers. But when things go out of control, the same social media becomes the bane for the same athlete.
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| Narsingh Yadav. (AP) |
One is not sure who operates Sushil's social media accounts. Initially, he had managed to build up concern and sympathy for himself as people thought the plight of a two-time Olympic medallist had to be redressed.
Yet, when Sushil started pushing the limits, he erred. In India, we live in a democracy where freedom of expression is sacrosanct.
Sushil was right in asking support from millions of people so that he could get a chance to take on Narsingh in a trial(s) to decide who goes to the Rio Olympics.
Till then, it did seem Sushil had made a case for himself as he had people thinking. From the average wrestling fan to someone not so well versed with the nuances of the grappling sport, the general impression was Sushil had been wronged.
The discordant note was struck when Sushil wrote to the sports ministry and copied it to the Sports Authority of India and the PMO (Prime Minister's Office). And there was no effort to conceal it.
Whatever sport one plays, the athlete has to go by what the sports federation says. Be it cricket or hockey, it's the federation which decides on selection matters.
In cricket, even when a big player has to be dropped for indifferent form, the selectors take a call. The dropped cricketer doesn't run to the papers or use social media to whip up opinion.
It just doesn't work that way as sportspersons are taught to be tolerant and take hard decisions on the chin.
Take a look at how cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Ashish Nehra have dealt with selection issues. Yes, they do feel sad and may have even sulked.
But beyond that, there is no question of knocking on all doors for a rethink.
Back to Sushil and Narsingh, the problem lies with the wrestling federation and the Indian Olympic Association as well.
Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is a tough man who calls the shots. Some of his quotes, though, have made little sense.
From holding trials to not holding trials, he has spoken as if the media wanted it to be held!
The WFI president needs to know the media has a job to do and is well within its right to ask people for answers. And that can include federation officials, coaches, former wrestlers and even the two parties concerned - Sushil and Narsingh.
Ideally, the WFI should have framed a transparent selection policy and put it up on its website.
Take the case of the National Rifle Association of India. As a body which works in a professional way, it formulated a tight selection policy almost three years ago so that each shooter had a set of scores to be used as an indicator. They use a weighted average and this is spread out over a fairly long period so that consistency can be ascertained.
But then, despite the drama before the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when trials were held for Kaka Pawar and Pappu Yadav to decide who would fly to the US, the WFI has not learnt its lessons.
To harp on the same point that whoever won the quota must go is bunkum. Narsingh won the quota over eight months ago and there could be changes in his form and fitness.
The WFI cannot be inert to changes and stick to its old stance. Sport is dynamic and no selection process is perfect. Selectors will always come under the scanner and if someone says they are biased, it cannot be ignored.
Such is the situation now; it has only created negative energy for Sushil and Narsingh. Whoever goes to Rio, will be tense and never be able to perform freely.
And should a medal elude India in the 74kg category, you can blame it on the drama which Sushil and Narsingh have been involved in with those with the power to take decisions mere onlookers.
For its part, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) continues to function like a courier agency. It forwards entries received from sports federations to respective games organising committees and interacts with the International Olympic Committee for relevant work.
As a body which has been mandated to promote sport in the country, the IOA is on a sleep mode.
Next week, the wrestling preparatory camp for the Rio Olympics will be held in Sonepat.
Sushil has been kept out of it and it will be interesting to see what his next move is.
If ministries and the PMO stay away from it, I won't be surprised if Sushil even moves a court of law!
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)