Goldfish................!!!

The Beijing Olympics will be remembered forever as a memorable chapter in Olympic history, written by Michael Phelps, who has won eight gold medals. No one believed that Mark Spitz’s seven golds at the 1972 Munich Olympics could be bettered but Phelps has done it, and done it with such grace. Phelps will be remembered as the greatest Olympian. If Phelps participates in London Olympics 2012, he will surely be able silence his critics.A consistent winner, his determined efforts to break the world record has made him the greatest Olympian. India can certainly take a leaf from the success stories of Phelps and other Olympians.I hope his dedication to his sport acts as an inspiration for budding sportsmen.It’s an entirely different story for Indians.
Sports people need money. That’s it. Either government agencies step in and provide the requisite funds, or fat cat sponsors cough up. Unless there is a richie rich father on the scene, like in Abhinav’s case. Without funds, an athlete is nowhere. Had Abhinav’s family not had the resources to see him through the intensive rehabilitation programme, Abhinav would have been yet another promising shooter whose career goes nowhere due to a lack of funds. Such a common story in India. Not just that. Besides supporting him financially all the way, his parents had allowed him to drop out of college and acquire a degree through a correspondence course. This sort of a long-distance education is something most Indian parents are suspicious about. And we know just how important that meaningless, mandatory degree is to most desis.
How many parents are either as enlightened or as wealthy as the Bindras? Most middle-class folk think of sports as an "extra-curricular" activity. Something kids are supposed to indulge in on the side once they are done with their excruciatingly tedious studies. Is it a coincidence that most of our world-class athletes (forget cricketers, who are in a league of their own), come from affluent backgrounds. Vishwanathan Anand, the snooker players and golfers, the tennis, badminton and squash players? Abhinav Bindra has come up entirely on his own. Nobody can claim a piece of this particular action. It is Bindra’s individual victory. And officials who try and cash in on it should be told to butt out. Where were they when Bindra needed them the most? Partying at tax payers’ expense in distant foreign locales, pretending to be on study tours? Sports remain a very low priority in India. That’s the sad fact of life. Supermodel Madhu Sapre was mocked for saying she would construct many stadia in India and make sports an integral part of students’ lives during an international beauty pageant. This was at a time when contestants were not supposed to go beyond declaring their desire to work for Mother Teresa. Popular opinion suggested her frank answer had cost her the crown!

Winners attract big bucks. It is already being said that Bindra will outstrip Dhoni in the celebrity endorsement stakes. Astronomical prices are being quoted even as canny advertisers rush to "congratulate" Goldfinger by issuing front-page ads in leading dailies. When it comes to riding on a champion’s success, we are brilliant at it. Now, everyone even remotely connected to Bindra will claim a special relationship. Absurdly enough, Milkha Singh has demanded a Bharat Ratna for Abhinav! Can we please calm down a little? Agreed, a gold medal is a gold medal. But if Bindra deserves India’s highest civilian award, what should Michael Phelps have got for his seven golds? The White House??? Perspective, darlings, perspective! Meanwhile, his doting dad has announced a gift — a spanking Rs 200 crore hotel for his victorious son.