Behind the podium

The flag has always imposed certain expectations of nobility and service without considerations of self-interest. So,when members of the Indian national team put down their hockey sticks and refused to undergo training for the World Cup,a question came up. Is it acceptable for those whod play for the country to put their self-interest above the teams? The championship is,after all,less than two months away,surely personal grievances can be subordinated to the prospects for national glory?

As Viren Rasquinha,who has captained the national hockey team,explains,it is not that simple. As the players hold out for better pay,better incentives and insurance cover,it may not be a simple case of choosing careerist demands over obligations to the teams greater interest. The two are connected. The fact that players are striking for such paltry demands shows up the governing mechanisms of our national game. That they are,instead,being told to hold out a while longer and be satisfied with the promise of Rs 1 crore for a podium finish at the World Cup indicates that the feudal mindset thats been the bane of our federations still thrives.

The bottomline is this. The way in which sport matters to a society is a comment on its priorities. There are countries which put a premium on good performance to make nationalistic points,and for this they pull in all the authority of the state. These tend to be,no surprise,countries with little democracy. Then there are those that offer sport as an avenue to assert how transparently aspirations can be met they privilege accountability and opportunity over a carrot-and-stick approach. It is sad that India,which lays such great store by its democratic credentials,cannot yet reveal these very credentials in the way its sports are organised.