Why we don't do well

The grand, once in four years, extravaganza called Olympics is on. Viewing the first round elimination of Indian sports persons is quite depressing though not unexpected. One only has to compare with our neighbor,China to understand why it is so. Sports as a way of life gets very little priority in our scheme of life. Our children are from the very beginning are kept away from organised physical activity and those who do are made to pay a heavy prize by denying them off academic performance as both don't match. Sporting activity like academic activity takes lots of energy and time. Most of our educational institutions don't stress the importance of sports as a form of overall development. Thus there is no grassroots base for any sport. If any sportsperson comes up from this poor base, it is entirely because of the sacrifice of the family and often by sheer accident.

Nutrition and fitness are linked.If you don't eat the right kind of food and do the right kind of exercise your body doesn't develop properly. Most of our country's population is undernourished. Where there is natural talent there is this big malady of malnutrition. Added to this and parental apathy there is our government. Less said the better as far as the role of the government is concerned in the development of sports.

Madhura Honey
She marched with great aplomb with the colorfully dressed Indian Olympic contingent, dressed in red and blue. By doing so and enjoying herself hugely, she left many an official red faced and left me laughing. She had no business to be there in the first place. How did she mange it and with such ease?