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Flipside
Olympian Goals
By
Dilip Bobb
For Indian
journalists at Sydney, trying to pin down an official member of the Indian
Olympic Association on the country's performance is about as impossible
as India winning a silver medal. For one, the IOA boasts of a bewildering
number of unofficial official members. Then there's the problem of tearing
them away from the tents dispensing freebies. Finally, when they spot
a journalist they can give Maurice Greene a run for his money. However,
there was one courageous member who agreed to be quizzed. Extracts:
 Q.
Do you have any words to describe India's performance at Sydney?
A.
Well,
I have overheard some people mention Disgraceful, Embarrassing and Inept.
But I don't think that's fair. The competition is much stiffer when you
get to the Olympics.
Q. But
that's a well-known fact. The Indian contingent would have been also-rans
if they could run.
A.
You should see the way we have been running, from one stadium to another,
hoping to catch a medal-winning performance by our athletes. It's a very
taxing discipline, being an official at the Olympics. Or an unofficial,
for that matter.
Q. But
what about the standards for qualifying? Look at our wrestlers and judokas?
They couldn't pin down a butterfly.
A.
You see, qualifying for the Olympics contingent is not easy. There are
many hurdles to cross and many pitfalls. There's such intense competition
that many who finally make it are so overwhelmed they tend to relax. There's
a lot of politics that goes into selecting the final team that makes it
to the Olympics.
Q. Are
you embarrassed that our male long jumper didn't even bother to show up
for the event?
A.
As I said, the pressure of getting to the Olympics is very great. I find
a lot of our team members cannot find the energy to make it to the events.
They prefer to go shopping instead.
Q. With
a population of one billion, our Olympic achievements are a disgrace.
A.
That's not true. Look at the number of officials and unofficials who have
made it, not to mention the Asiad Bid Committee and the myriad other committees
which are in fierce competition to make it to the Games.
Q. I
think you are missing the point.
A.
See,
it is like this. How can we move ahead of such recognised sporting nations
as Mozambique, Costa Rica and Kyrgyzstan without the concerned team members
getting to see how they are performing?
Q. Surely
that's not what Olympic preparation is all about.
A.
Oh yes. This is a learning experience. We can only do better next time.
In Athens, we will have a much larger contingent.
Q. In
Athens? After our athletics contingent has performed so poorly here?
A.
Who's talking about the athletics contingent? I've been talking about
the official delegation. Do you have any idea how tough it is to qualify
for the Olympic contingent? Specially since many of us have never visited
Greece. They say it's a lovely country.
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