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A
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"The
Olympics, for India, were not a debacle"
A chat with
Ashok
Kumar Mattoo, chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent at the Sydney Olympics.
Chat conducted on Tuesday,
October 10, 2000, between 1600 hours and 1700 hours IST.
Ashok
Kumar Mattoo:
Well, I am happy to be here and to share my experience at the Olympics.
It has been a very very great event and I'll be too happy to share my
experiences and answer any questions. At the outset let me say that India's
performance has not been upto the expectations but there is a silver lining
because of achievements in some sports. The conduct of our athletes on
and off the field was exemplary.
B
N Puri: Mr Ashoka Kumar, as chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent
at the Sydney Olympics, what are your observations on the performance
of the team and what message would you like to give on this debacle?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I would not call India's participation
at the Olympics as a debacle. There is no doubt that we have not come
up to the expectations.
Anita
Sood: Mr Mattoo, your own boxing coach denounced their chances even
before they reached Sydney. What do you have to say? Would you blast the
media report or do you agree that your coach had indeed said so?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I would still not believe that
Gurbax Sandhu would have said what has been attributed to him. The performance
of the boxers at Sydney proves the fact that the boxers were physically
fit and performed to the best of their ability. Dingko had a tough opponent
from Ukraine and he could not intrude into the defece of the boxer. All
our boxers have lost only on points. However, personally I am dissapointed
that boxers did not come back with a medal and I own this responsibility.
Anurag Srivastav: Good evening Mr Mattoo, what can we expect
you to write in your chef-de-mission report to the IOA after the flop
show in Sydney. Tell me, when you were at Sydney, did you at any time
feel embarassed as the leader on seeing so many officials wander around
aimlessly. After all, we won only one medal and there were so many officials
hanging around there.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: The number of officials with
me in the village who formed a part of the contingent were limited and
exactly as approved by SOCOG. The officials included coaches doctors masseurs,
physiotherapists and some managers for major sports. At the team registration
meeting at Sydney on the 29th of August, the number of officials India
was entitled to were calculated based on our strength as per the formula
laid down for all the other countries. Subsequent to our entry at the
registration two female tennis players and one person in equestrian qualified.
Irepeat that the Indian contingent to the olympics did not have any other
official other than those approved by SOCOG on a uniform basis applicable
to all the other countries.
B N Puri: Mr Mattoo, you also appear to disappointed with
the performance of the Indian team at the Olympics. What steps are needed
to correct this situation? What are the proposals in this respect? If
you are selected again as a chef-de-mission of the Indian contigent in
the 2004 Olympics, what will you do? Will you accept the assignment or
you will refuse to do so until you are convinced that the Indian contingent
has improved and is worth competing in the Olympics?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I am not disappointed per se,
but yes, it's a fact that we have not come up to the expectations. We
have no business to lose in hockey and in my own sport, boxing. The brighter
side has been that Malleswari got a bronze in wightlifting, Chanu got
the 6th position in weightlifting, Anjali got the 8th position in shooting
(air rifle) out of 49 competitors and Abhinav Bindra, the youngest in
the sqaud, 11th. Beenamol gave the best timing of 51.51 in 400m and Gurcharan
Singh in the light heavy weight category gave a superb performance losing
the medal on judge's individual score basis.
Medals shall come after sustained efforts of intensive training and competition.
As an example, in boxing any of the medal winners has a minimum of 20-25
international exposures. We do need to provide the necessary infrastructure
and the competitive lot of sportsmen would automatically get generated
through a Sports For All Programme. Sports would have to become a part
of the culture in case we are looking at medals.
Ananth Rai: What was the most disappointing fact from the
Indian contingent's viewpoint at Sydney? Also, the moment, Malleswari
won a medal, you said in a statement that back home the media was criticising
the fact that we should not have brought Chanu but Kunjarani'. Do you
really think it was right for you to come with such gimmickry?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I have not made these comments
as have been attributed to me . I left the weightlifting hall the moment
I was sure that Malleswari would get a medal and rushed to the hockey
match. I welcomed Malleswari, the moment she returned to the village.
Nitin: When does the Indian contingent stop including bureaucrats?
Don't you think the taxpayer deserves athlete and not officials on these
jaunts?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I have already mentioned that
I did not have a passenger with me in the Indian contingent. The numbers
and designations were as required.
Manpreet Brar: Mr Mattoo, we are aware that officials can
cook up any excuse to escape blame, but do you think as the chef-de-mission,
you owe the nation a moral commitment of ensuring that the best athletes
are selected. Don't you agree that Kunjarani, one of the best lifters
of this century was given a bad deal by the federation and IOA. I am sure
as someone who is himself a sports administrator, you were aware of the
politics to keep her out. What is your comment on the issue of dropping
Kunjarani, who was a sure medal hope.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I had no role in the selection
of the athletes to the Sydney Games. This is the responsibility of the
concerned federation based on the criterea fixed by the international
body. The chef-de-mission coordinates the travel, kitting, participation
and all other requirements that the teams have. This question should be
best addressed to weightlifting federation.
Ranjan Pandey: It seems the IHF secretary Jyotikumaran created
lot of problem for the players. I can say that because I was there as
a spectator and overheard lot of Indian players say that. Are you aware
of the problems created by him ?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I am not aware of any problems
created by Jothikumaran. I found him to be a very able administrator and
totally involved with the sport.
Anupam Singh: You insist that Dingko was not injured but
his performance at Sydney showed that he was not at his best. Why did
you officials hide Dingko's injury?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I have no reason to hide Dingko's
injury as mentioned earlier. Dingko qualified in his individual capacty
and the performance of his opponent was superior. In any sport and for
any sportsmen winning and losing go together.
Ranjan Rastogi: Gurcharan SIngh failed to hang on for one
minute after such a good show? Why don't you attach psychologists with
the boxing team as you will agree that boxing is fought more in the mind
than with punches.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I agree with your suggestion.
Avinash Sharma: After Sydney, we are going to spend crores
on hosting the Afro Asian Games. Do you think this makes sense. Shouldn't
we first spend money on coaching and training our players? How do these
games benefit?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: Any sporting event does a lot
of good to any country. 1982 Asiad is a great example. Afro-Asian Games
would give a boost to our sportspersons and would also help us to upgrade
and update our infrastructure.
Fredun Balsara: Who is responsible for India's poor show
at Sydney? Who will take respossibility? Will you, as President of IABF,
take responsibility for the performance of boxers?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I have already owned my own
responsibility as far as boxing is concerned and I repeat that the responsibility
has to be owned by all the agencies collectively.
Aroon Ghai: Mr Matoo, you say that your coach did not make
those statement. Why don't you sue the media or the journalist who wrote
that, if it is wrong. Please don't try to escape by saying it is not important
enough to pay attention to.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I don't need to give any explanations
since the performance of the boxers is a proof that they were physically
fit. i I repeat, that boxing is prone to injury during training and competition.
Does that mean that an athlete once injured should be left out?
Amar Roy: Mr Matoo, I was there at Sydney and I saw some
of the Indian officials make a quick buck by selling tickets for india's
hockey matches in black. What do you have to say?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I have had no such reports
and as far as the athletes and officials are concerned, we got tickets
for different events which are non-transferable and the access is only
with the accredidation.
Aarti Chawla: Mr Matoo, our officials seem to only agree
after the damage is done. From your answer, it seems you were not aware
of the need for a psychologist with the boxing team, ditto for KPS Gill,
who is saying now that our players lack mental toughness. What were you
people doing for the last so many years?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: The psychologist are involved
totally in the training camps. What I said earlier is that we should also
carry a psychologist with us when going for competitions.
Jagdeesh Roy: Now that the Olympics are over, what do you
think we should do? Prepare for Afro-Asian Games, spend money or seriously
analsyse our problems and penalise responsible federation for not showing
result?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: If penalising would help, we
should do so. What needs to be done is to analyse and take remedial measures
collectively.
Vinod
Sharma: I feel the problem with our system is that people are not
willing to admit that there is a problem with our system. Even the PM
had asked a minister why had so many Indian officials gone to Sydney and
yet, you seem to deny that there was an excess baggage.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I maintain what I said. I am
talking of the Olympic family. I am talking of those who were in my charge
in the village. These numbers were strictly as per the norms applied not
only to India but to all other countries. I have the chart with me . I
wish I could put it on the machine for you over here.
Chandru Narayan: Ashokjee we could not have a bigger shame
than the team that went to the Olympics. Even Ethiopia won Golds, Silver
and Bronze, I think the entire system of choosing athletes is corrupt,
with nepotism ruling the selection committee. What steps will India take
to send Medal quality personnel rather than a team that buys Bullion Gold
in Australia?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: You have to appreciate that
every international body has a certain laid down criteria for selection
of the athletes for the Olympics. The federations are guided by that criteria.
An entry at the Olympics is accepted only after the criteria is met.
Anurag Srivastav: What do you mean by, 'if penalising would
help.' Have you ever seen accountability being applied in any front in
our country?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: What I meant to say was that
if by penalising me, India would get an olympic medal, I would be very
happy to be penalised. What we need to do is to analyse why we have not
been able to come up to the medal level and to take remedial measure like
basic facility for training , competition , etc. We have to look into
our ability to perform at a competitive level.
Amar Thukral: Mr Mattoo, do you feel ashamed that you led
a contingent which proved to be a dismal failure. After all, Malleswari's
medal had got nothing to do with the officials. She herself blasted the
corruption and federation officials who are running indian sports. What
do you have to say to that?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I mentioned earlier that I
am disappointed. There is no reason to be ashamed. I have interacted with
Malleswari throughout and at no stage did she give me a feeling that she
has differences with her federation. But I do intend talking to her now
to know what she exactly meant.
Vanita Pandey: How do you feel about heading a contingent
which represents 1 billion people and returns with one bronze medal. You
feel triumphant because some of your rival official heading other teams
did not return with any medal, or do you feel sad that our people, govt
neglect sports?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I do feel sad. We should have
got more medals.
Vandana Mishra: Sir, why is it that we Indians always come
up with postmortems after every Olympics and Asian Games. Do you think
lame excuses are going to help Indian sport in any manner. You have been
associated with sports for 30 years as your Bio-data states. What has
been your contribution?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I have been involved with the
Indian boxing at the national level from 1981 as the president till 1988
and again from 1992 till date. Indian boxing over the years has grown
to the level at which it is today. Introduction of the sub-junior boxing
has ensured the levels to which we have reached. Gurcharan's performance
is the highest ever achieved by an Indian boxer in olympics.
Whereas there is a great satisfaction in having been involved with this
sport but there has been a disappointment that the performance has not
been transferred in to a medal at the olympics. The standard of Indian
boxing at different international tournaments including Asian Games, Commonwealth
Games has been good and rewarding.
Archana Joglekar: Mr Mattoo, how farcical we can be? I mean,
here you are trying to say that so many athletes qualified by any criteria,
but what about the results. Again, why were some of the athletes sent
as observers?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I am not aware of any athlete
having been sent as an observer. The athletes have been entered under
different events for which they have qualified.
Vandana Mishra: Sir, what do you think about our hockey
team? We finished poor seventh, but KPS GIll said in a TV interview that
we are preparing for future. Why do we keep preparing for future which
anyway yields nothing?
Ashok
Kumar Mattoo: I maintain that our hockey team was
the best and it was a winning team. It is unfortunate that we could not
sustain the advantages.
Saurab Ranjan: Mr Matto, in this age of self-dependency,
what was the need for taking a steno with the indian contingent to Sydney?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I am rather surprised that
you have singled out a person who has worked the most and has managed
the contingent office on a 24-hour basis. Let me make it clear that I
did not need the services of the steno since I used to write in longhand.
The concerned person coordinated the happeneings in the contingent office
and I would like to add that he has hardly seen any event, forget about
seeing Sydney.
Pradeep Thakur: Sir, would you agree with Milkha Singh's
comment that Indina sports should be taken by the Army?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I am all for discipline and
let me say that of all the four boxers, two are from services, one is
from para-military force and one from the railways. That should answer
Mr Milkha Singh's comment.
Ashok Vadhera: Would you agree that Mr Kalmadi is one of
the main culprits behind the poor state of affairs in Indian sports?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: Why do you blame Mr Kalmadi
alone. His contribution to Indian sports has been tremendous and I am
sure under his leadership India will get Olympic medals.
P K Singh: What are the measures you think should be taken
to bring money into Indian sports?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: Sponsorship support and adoption
of sports by industry and corporate houses.
Aman Shahini: Mr Mattoo, hope you are aware that a magazine
wrote that Malleswari had put on weight because of drinking beer. She
denied it vigorously and said she belonged to a traditional family, where
these things are not permitted. Whom do you believe?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: We should complement Malleswari
for her achievement. She has done the country proud. May I suggest that
we only look into the positive aspects.
Rajiv Bhardawaj: Sir, would you agree that cricket is killing
other sports in the country?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I am a sports lover. I only
request the industry and corporate houses to support as they do in case
of cricket.
P K Singh: Sir you have talked about Indian offiials in
the Games Village. What about officlas staying outside, in hotels and
generally having a ball?
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: My responsibility is only about
Indian contingent and not people staying outside the Games village. My
role is for the Indian contingent and SOCOG.
Surinder Singh: Oh yes, Mr Mattoo, kalmadi had contributed
so much, no wonder we are at the bottom. You are so good at buttering
people.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: I call a spade a spade and
am well known for my views.
Ashok Kumar Mattoo: Thank You. It was interesting
to chat. I thank everybody to give me this opportunity and thank India
Today Group Online for inviting me here. Indian sports need a lot of understanding
and appreciation and let us work together in making our coutry to attain
high standards in competitive sports.
.
Moderator: Thank you Mr
Mattoo and chat participants for taking time out for this exclusive and
insightful chat.
We hope you join us again next time for another ITGO chat session. Till
then, goodbye.
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