A fan's wishlist for 2011

Abraham Lincoln once said, “And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” As a year comes to an end, and another starts, it's time to take stock of the year gone by, and a time to figure out what we want in another that has just started.

For sports fans, it's always about how many trophies their teams win, rather than how many matches they play. One bronze medal in Asian Games, added to a fifth place finish in South Asian Games is not what Nepali fans dream of. They want more, especially when Afghanistan, the latest entrant to SAG is breathing down our neck.

So what would a sports fan wish for, in the coming year? Brighter medal tallies, more efficient sport management and teams that would scare the opposition? 11 items from the wishlist of a sport fan for 2011:

-          We would like to see more Deepak Maharjans, for they represent the kind of professionals we need. Quiet, tongue-tied, but efficient in the punches they deliver at a boxing ring. We'd rather not have the boisterous players, promising more than they could deliver. Additionally, we would not mind having more Dipak Bistas, although that's a rare commodity winning us four gold medals at SAG, as long as they don't let their tongues work ahead of their brain.

-          We would like to see a Sports Minister, who would like to work with the sport officials, and not against them, using whims as a policy. We would rather like to see them making policies, which help the players and the game than leading contingent at multi-national events.

-          We would like to see an end to the rivalry between National Sports Council and Nepal Olympic Committee. Both are expected to help the sports sector flourish and despite knowing their rivalry is helping other countries bag more medals, they've gone about their way. It would be nice to see members from both the sides thinking for sports, together.

-          We would like the Finance Minister to release budget on time, for the players suffer when they don't get proper facilities. Lack of budget does hamper a player's mentality, just the way it does affect our households.

-          We would want our sport officials to be respected, as people who think for the players and development of the game. For now, the players - even while talking to journalists - use the unmentionables, when they have to refer to any sport official.

-          We would like the Supreme Court verdict which said, sports associations do not need registration under National Sports Council, to be honoured and implemented. It has the potential to open the doors for modernization of Nepali sports. The sport associations do not need control regime.

-          We would like to hear the news that sport officials were awarded for their honesty and integrity. We would like to see them working for the upliftment of the game, if that's not too much to ask for.

-          We would like to see more spectators in the stadium during the football league. Somehow the stadium being filled is either limited to folklores now, or the international matches, which is rare already.

-          We would like to see the ANFA president Ganesh Thapa, to delegate some authority, especially now that he might become Vice-President of Asian Football Council. We would like him at the helm for his developmental work, and not the goals he used to score in late 80s and very early 90s.

-          We would like to have a cricket coach that can better the records of Roy Dias, who brought Nepali cricket to international notice. We need someone who gets players' respect, carries on where Dias left and not reinvent the wheel again.

-          And finally, at least some from us would like to see Sachin Tendulkar scoring his 60^th Test match century this year, for the simple reason that he's born to do that.

Impossible dreams? But then, that's the liberty fans have, of demanding too much… And what a day it would be, if we get to see all of them fulfilled.

Lessons to be Learnt?

Deepak Maharjan was mere 7-year old when Chitra Bahadur Gurung won Nepal a bronze in the 1990 Asian Games, incidentally in Chinese city of Beijing. So it's highly unlikely that he might have been inspired by that event. And after that, we could never see the podium finish at the Asian level, as far as the pugilists are concerned.

Incidentally, it had to be China again, where the medal drought finally ended for the sport. And incidentally, it had to be another humble player who finished at the podium. In sports, it is said, you don't win silver, forget bronze. You only win gold.

But then, we are celebrating a third place finish. And why not, if it was not for Deepak Maharjan, our bag would remain empty. The media could have blamed it on the officials; after all they were the ones who had almost put the entire contingent's trip in jeopardy. After all, they were the ones who went to Guangzhou with the players, and were spotted in cities like Hong Kong and Macau, during the Games itself, while the players would hardly find a couple of hands clapping for them.

So what if it was only a bronze that he won. So what if he could only score one point against the 6-footer Indian boxer. Deepak Maharjan did not create magic, or set the ring on fire, and perhaps it was not even expected of him. For he was not the one who would give juicy soundbites to camera or make promises even before setting his foot in the ring. Before heading to China, he did not tell you he was going to break any record or a neck. What he did tell us was that he's going to try his best. What we conveniently forgot was he had won a gold in South Asian Games, last time around.

And now, he is a celebrated name. He even has a page on the Wikipedia now. And perhaps, he is not even aware of it. For he is a simpleton, a man who's likely to remain unnoticed unless you want to interview him. And there are chances you might regret interviewing him, because his lines are terse and hardly likely to incite anyone. But if you listen to him carefully, you might be feel differently.

When everyone who knows a bit of sports in the country, including media, was busy criticizing the sport officials for spoiling the environment even before the Asian Games, he would not even speak about it.

Upon his return he said, "Our job is to prepare well, and not concentrate on anything that happens outside." But it must be tough, not reacting to what is happening around you. He tells you, "That hampers preparation."

Terse, but to the point... Ask him how he feels after grabbing bronze at the Asian Games, and he would grope for words, often mumbling and trying to thank the entire family, friends, fans and god knows who not. But you would rate him for what he does in the ring, and not the speech he would deliver after receiving the medal. Doing both well would be great, we'd have a showman. But here, we are in dire need of flag bearers rather than stars.

Post Asiad, I could not help but notice 3 things.

Deepak came back for a hero's welcome, with his villagers thronging the airport just before midnight.

So did the other officials, one of whom was manhandled, by those who call themselves players.

A senior official from Sports Council - who shall here remain nameless and for his lack of understanding should remain jobless - told me, "Forget my talks on TV. We cannot even pay proper salaries, forget big plans for future."

Makes you wonder: Are we learning our lessons?

(The article originally appeared in The Kathmandu Post, 4th December, 2010, in a weekly column of Yours Truly)

The Inconvenient Truth

It's official now. The honourable Sports Minister is going to lead our contingent at the Asian Games. He will be the chef de mission as we're being represented by our players at the biggest stage in Asia. That, effectively, has killed the speculation and a lot of claims and counter claims over who's to head our contingent as top athletes from all over Asia parade in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

You would breathe a sigh of relief at such a piece news, or maybe throw your hands in despair, depending upon how you view the participation. But, if you were an athlete, you'd just nod, and say, "Well, what difference does it make?" Given the nonchalance of our sport officials towards the players in previous visits, the lines speak volumes.

There are two sides to the minister's participation – one, of ending the controversy, and the other, of raising more questions. Indeed, Minister as Chef de Mission has ended the present claims and counter-claims from both National Sports Council member secretary and Nepal Olympic Committee officials. Anything that puts an end to controversy in sport is a welcome move.

But another view, and the one which could have far reaching consequence is – should a minister head such a mission? Maybe yes, but maybe not… The chef de mission is a liaison role and it includes coordinating between the Games Organizing Committee as well as other multi-sport organizations. The chef de mission is expected to know the technical part of sport, the rules and the updates in the rules.

With due respect to all the politicians – which is the group ministers belong to – it can be safely said that they, mostly, are unaware of rules of sports. In such a condition how well can our minister perform the role, is a question that does not even need to be answered. All over the world, perhaps without exception, ministers are not given that responsibility. Even if they do join in as chef de mission, it is because they hold some other post in sporting bodies.

More importantly, the ministers, in sports festivals of this stature, are invited by the Games Organizing Committee or the IOC, depending upon the clout of the ministers in the larger body. They're invited as special guests and given VVIP treatment.

Has our minister done wrong not to deserve that treatment? Or alternatively, why doesn't he want to see himself there? The questions have no easy answers.

Meanwhile, the honorable Supreme Court has put an end to the question over which one is the legitimate of the two NOCs. The only flip side is that the one not recognized by the Supreme Court enjoys IOC recognition.

Honoring and acting on the Supreme Court verdict will take time and hopefully, IOC will also honor it. But one important part of the apex court verdict in the past week went unnoticed. It said, sports associations did not need registration under National Sports Council.

While it may have made not have made the NSC authorities very happy, it has perhaps, opened the doors for modernization of Nepali sports fraternity. The verdict said that the sport associations needed affiliation from NSC and not registration. This effectively ends NSC control over sporting bodies in the country.

Sport, in most countries, has flourished because the sport's governing body stopped 'controlling' them. Rather, the governing bodies are expected or should 'manage' the sports association. Gone are the days when some elites would, as an act of benevolence, set up an organization to 'let' sport flourish. These days, the governing bodies facilitate and coordinate with other bodies, rather than administer them.

There's no reason why the same system cannot be used in Nepal. Rather, the question would be: Why should we not adopt for a system that is modern and has more chances of success?

And thankfully, the Supreme Court has given us a start.
(The article appeared in a weekly column of yours truly, in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 6, 2010)

The Politics of Sport

Not long ago, our Finance Minister dropped a bombshell on sports fraternity. Of course, like any other politician, he wasn't thinking sports while talking. Rather, like any other politician, his reasons were political.

The Finance Minister said that Nepal may not be participating in the 16^th Asiad, in Guangzhou, China, this November. He said, if the government cannot bring in budget before the festivals, it will not have any money to spend for the participation. His logic, albeit founded on political premises, sounds very simple. His explanation was, 'what is the point of nation's pride when there are dangers nation may not remain so'.

Bravo, Mister Minister!  Bull's eye!

Why would we want to participate, if we don't remain the nation that we are? But then, the question is – are we really headed to that direction? And in case, even if we have a slightest chance to remain as a nation – contrary to what you may fear – why not participate?

For the minister, the agenda could be opportunity to present yet another budget. But for anyone, who's played a sport at any level, the speech was unacceptable. Just by saying, participation may not be possible, he's hurt the morale of all those who dreamt of making a mark at the highest level in Asia. Many have already said it on telly, how hurt their spirits are. The enthusiasm went a notch lower. And those working with athletes will tell you, it's the spirit that gets you glory on the field, not mere ability.

These athletes have helped in hoisting the Nepali flag on foreign soils 14 times – 13 for bronze medals and once for a silver - since Asiad began in 1951. How many political contingents have achieved that so far? Ask Sabita Rajbhandari, silver medalist at 1998 Asiad, about her proudest moment in life. She'll tell you it was the moment her country's flag was being hoisted; the moment few more decided to take up the sport, thinking they too, could bring glory to the country.

The Finance Minister has hurt that spirit, by bringing doubts in the sportspersons' minds. But one thing that goes in his favor is that he was trying to aware the powers that be, of the worst case scenario. For that, Thank You Mister Minister, even if you've treaded a wrong path.

But one has to remember, even when there were proper budgets were the norm, sport always got it at last. The National Games held in 2009 got its complete budget mere 3 days before the event. 3 days! Imagine that for the biggest sporting festival in the country. And it could not be a coincidence that the players were at the receiving end, getting inferior products to use (We're not even talking about the over invoicing of the goods supplied). For Nepali participation in South Asian Games too, the complete budget was not released till the eleventh hour.

This is where the government provision for demanding bids to supply sport goods comes in. According to provisions, the government agencies have to demand for bids with a margin of 35 days. The same process cannot be completed if the margin is just a week or less than a month. If budget does not come on time, there's no bidding and the number of suppliers automatically goes down, thereby decreasing the possibility of competitive quotations. Then the sports authorities have to contact those who have goods ready to be supplied in a day or two. This is exactly where the grey marketers come into play. Those at the helm of sport governing bodies have long been accused of nexus with these kinds of suppliers.

It would be difficult to say if the budget is never cleared on time with the very intention of foul play. But it can be safely said that the situation can be improved by breaking the cycle.

Our athletes may get a chance to compete at Asian Games. They may also try to improve upon the haul of 3 bronze from the last edition.

But the question for the Finance Minister is – Sir, do you see where the problems are? Both in your speech and the system.
(The article originally appeared in The Kathmandu Post, 11th September, 2010, in a weekly column of Yours Truly)