Full house,no show

Paucity of talent,jaded stars mark games which witnessed good spectator turnout.

As the 34th National Games finally wind down to a close,its success at least in numerical terms was clear from the star. In the 12 days of competition,more than 10 lakh people visited the various stadia,outnumbering the official seating capacity several times over. Remarkable figures indeed for an event that was seemingly destined not to happen. This edition was actually to be held in 2007,but was shifted to Guwahati at the last minute. Since then,there have been five deferments before the action actually began on February 12.

But heres the bad news. When it finally did start,the big names opted out and Suresh Kalmadis presence,fresh from an unsavoury tie up with the CWG scam,was not the most preferred beginning. Those who did participate,performed below their best,coming as they were in their off-season. Joseph Abraham,Preeja Sreedharan,Kavita Raut,Virdhawal Khade,Achanta Sharath Kamal,Deepika Kumari all blamed a hectic 2010 and a packed 2011 for their poor form. And with Kerala already seeking to host the next edition in December 2012 just three months after the Olympics more below-par performances can be expected next time around.

Upcoming talent too has not come through and the lack of the next line of Indian sports persons is a concern. The names listed above are all seasoned performers,and remained the best in the country by a long shot. Apart from swimming,where the likes of Gagan AP,Arjun JP,Rohit Havaldar,Aaron DSouza,AV Jayaveena,Talasha Prabhu and Rujuta Bhatt gave hope,no sport threw up fresh talent. If anything,the list has only reduced weightlifting,where some weight categories saw fewer participants than medals.

The games are supposed to not only showcase the best talent but also be the scouting ground for the next generation,a feeder line to the top. These games,however,failed to do either,and the declining importance of these games will only increase the mediocrity on display.

For the athletes,though,there could not have been a better stage to perform. The crowds were there for encouragement and there were rewards to be reaped. Delhis Richa Mishra admitted she was swimming in front of so many people in a domestic competition for the first time,and India hockey player Tushar Khandker felt there should be more events in the hinterland. It doesnt look like there will be a revolution in Indian sports yet; but if the CWG was the first instance of people turning up for events other than cricket,then the national games did the same on a smaller but equally important stage.