Once the hype surrounding Pratima and Chanu has died down, it will be easier to see the reality: that Indian sport — cricket apart — is to most of us nothing more than a collection of headlines, provoking outrage or exultation as the case may be. Weightlifting and shooting are two sides of the same coin as far as mindspace goes: they don’t exist for 364 days of the year, coming alive on that one day through victory or vilification. Which is why, if the story of Chanu and Pratima is a national shame, all of us have an equal stake in it. We don’t want to know what goes on in their lives — not the sports pages, not the specialised channels — when things are on an apparently even keel but invest precious airtime and news space for the sensational. So the best way to deal with the story is to go on with life.That said, the story does show up, yet again, the state of sports in this country, and the need for change. However, the good news from Athens is Sunil Dutt, and how he has added to the reputation he has built up in his short stint so far. This is the perfect opportunity for him to prove that he’s more than just Mr Nice Guy, that he means business; that he doesn’t see the ministry as a stint of social service while he’s there. Cleaning up the system — not just ridding it of dope — but making sure the embarrassment of Bahadur Singh and Malleswari and, let’s face it, the below-par, unprofessional showing by Bhagwat, Paes and Bhupathi — requires a mind that’s free of the distraction of a typical politician. Cricket is an example, in however minute a fashion, of how sport can be professionalised if there is a will to do so.These Games have shown us the power of non-cricket sport to capture the public attention, so long as it is well-packaged, and the sports minister should use the opportunity to woo Big Business, get more funding into the stadium. The eyeballs will follow. There is money to be spent but only on condition of guarantees; Dutt’s reputation — especially seen in light of his predecessors — could be the biggest lure.
