Great work, boys

The will to win triumphed in the end. Dhanraj Pillay's boys have ended a 32-year-old Asian Games drought by bagging the hockey gold in Ba...

The will to win triumphed in the end. Dhanraj Pillay8217;s boys have ended a 32-year-old Asian Games drought by bagging the hockey gold in Bangkok. They have not only restored the country8217;s pride, but have given a boost to the national game, which seems to have hit a bad patch in these cricket-obsessed times.

The Now Generation doesn8217;t spare more than a passing thought for the game. This is all the more reason to celebrate the Bangkok victory. That the Indian hockey team managed to thwart the attacking Koreans twice in the tournament speaks volumes for its courage, dedication and strength of character. It is no secret that the morale of the team was at its lowest after consecutive failures at the World Cup in May and the Commonwealth Games in September.

But with courage and determination, it rallied back with a famous victory to cap a fine performance by the athletics squad. While the players lived up to their formidable potential, credit must also go to coaches Maharaj Kishan Kaushik and Mir Ranjan Negi, whoput in a lot of work over the last two months. But if this is a time to celebrate, it8217;s also a time to introspect. The Europeans have moved far ahead in terms of tactics and infrastructure, with the Indians struggling hard to keep their balance after the advent of artificial turf. Although 20 years have gone by since astroturf was introduced, the Indian government has managed to build just a few complexes that offer this facility. Most of these are now little better than worn out carpets. In comparison, in countries like Germany and the Netherlands where football is the favourite sport there are hundreds of artificial hockey grounds.

Clearly the administration of the game leaves much to be desired. The parent body, the Indian Hockey Federation IHF, has done little of note in recent years to promote the game in the country. From flawed domestic and international calendars to the constant chopping of players and coaches, IHF kept bungling along. Even Kaushik was brought in as a stop-gap arrangement a fewmonths ago. The frustration of the players was summed up best by goal-keeper Ashish Ballal, after the victory. He described hockey officials as 8220;worse than garbage8221;. The lack of transparency and consistency in the federation8217;s policies has seen India slip from being among the Elite Six in the past two decades. By grabbing the gold, the Indians have managed to stem the rot that had threatened the existence of hockey as a competitive sport in the country.

The win has also given us a direct ticket to the Sydney Olympics. But the path to resurrection is as yet full of uncertainty. Several of the golden lot are expected to retire by the time Sydney happens. And here lies the rub. The officials will have a tough time rebuilding a winning combination in two year8217;s time.

If the gains of Bangkok are to be maximised, the government will have to get it priorities right. Rather than spend crores of rupees in maintaining that flourishing babudom known as the Sports Authority of India, the ministry of sports andyouth affairs would do well to earmark more funds for building better infrastructure, hiring professional coaches and promoting fresh talent. All this would go a long way in providing a fresh lease of life to our national sport. Bangkok should mark a new beginning.