Country’s golden’ sport losing lustre

BANGALORE, June 1: It was one sport the country could bank on for a gold. It saved the bacon in the 1990 Beijing Asiad where it was the onl...

BANGALORE, June 1: It was one sport the country could bank on for a gold. It saved the bacon in the 1990 Beijing Asiad where it was the only gold for India and the yellow metal was retained four years later in Hiroshima. But, of late, even kabaddi seems destined to go down the beaten path to nowhere.The fact that uncertainty looms large over the discipline’s inclusion in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games has not helped matters, either. Besides, it is no longer a cakewalk for India in the international arena, what with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan and China having improved by leaps and bounds in this event.

In fact, according to Delhi coach Shiv Kumar Mall, things can only worsen. “In five years, India would be in the second line, and after another five, it will stand nowhere.”

Mall explained that the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) is not bothered about the way the sport is being run. He also charged the body with being biased in selecting the National team.

Tamil Nadu’s S Rajarethinam, an Arjuna award winner and captain of the Indian side which won gold in the 1994 Hiroshima Asiad, agreed that India’s loss to Pakistan in the SAF Games final at Madras in 1995 was an indication that other Asian countries were fast catching up.

“Kabaddi is also not included in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) list, despite the fact that most of the players come from the rural areas. And, because of the poor media coverage, even sponsors are not interested,” he added.

Another Arjuna award winner from Tamil Nadu, Ganeshan, also was a member of the victorious Indian in Asian Games, said that a proper impetus should come from the top.

The vice-captain of the Indian team which lost to Pakistan in the SAF Games final in 1995, C Honappa of Karnataka had something else to offer. He complained that the Karnataka government did not provide any perks to international players unlike Maharashtra, where every international player gets a flat. Another international player and team-mate of Honappa, B Gopi, criticised the standard of refereeing, which was apparent during the SAF Games in Madras.

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At this rate, the sport could well find itself among the list uncared for disciplines even at the National Games. And to think, this indigenuous sport saved the country from total disaster at Beijing in 1990.