Sporting chance

Sports triumphs are dependent on the moment: the power,precision and speed of one glorious instant. The greatness of an international sporting event is often tabulated by the frequency of that feat on display the number of records broken,the number of medals collected. But there is something else that defines its indelibleness: its legacy,an ex post facto exuberance that goes beyond a fortnight or so to encompass the community in a grand athletic outreach.

The Commonwealth Games in Delhi last year transformed the citys infrastructure,had the people discovering and delighting in sports other than cricket and gave the country over a hundred medals. Now finally the government is,taking a cue from the best of international practices,opening the gates of the CWG venues for the citys people. For a small fee,the public can use the tracks of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the pools of the S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Complex. There will be summer camps for children and concessional rates for girls. People below the poverty line will not have to make any payment to use the facilities that will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. The baton passes on from sporting echelons to the commoner.

With this inclusionary gesture,the government is not just drawing in citizens as rightful stakeholders of the CWG heritage,but is also making up for its own gaffe. For,one of the most befuddling moments after CWG came when the government declined to bid for Asian Games 2019. It was a glaring refusal to acknowledge the CWG legacy and the sporting ethos it had infused the city with. Hopefully,the government is waking up from denial mode. It was,we should do well to remember,Manchester CWG 2002 that led in so many ways to London 2012. Thats how sports achievements gather pace across time; that is why a country should take ownership of the many inheritances of the Games.