Sports in India

The title is synonymous to cricket in India. When we say sport in India on most occasions it is cricket. Not that I am a critic of cricket but the fact that other sports get absolutely no recognition is apalling. I was watching one of the regional channels where there was a debate about "Pursuing sports in India" is a waste of time. The debate brought about interesting points. I heard that both Mr. Bhaskaran (former hockey international) and Sachin were recipients of the Arjuna award. The press walked over Bhaskaran to interview Sachin. I then did a google on sports and most of the pages returned cricket related pages. It is no surprise that India fairs poorly in the Olympics.

I stay in the north of Bangalore and had to search for a couple of years to find a badminton court to play at an amateur level. The government should set up small recreation centres. This would be a start. Anywhere in the west it is quite easy to find a place to play. BCCI should be taken over by the government. The overflowing funds from BCCI should be spent on improving other sports as well. Cricket doesn't need any marketing at the moment.

Mr. Bhaskaran had made a valid point - the sports minister should be a former player and should step onto the field everyday to find out ground realities and take necessary action.

Parents play a huge role in the development of the kid. Parents should encourage a child if he is very passionate about some sport. It makes the child grow up to be a better personality and maybe he will make a few bucks for him as well!

Update: I came across the website "Mittal Champions Trust" which is to be lauded for its efforts. I hope they produce world beaters in the near future.

Any thoughts welcome.