I missed writing during and about Olympics. It is not an event which I follow keenly but I do keep an eye on the news channels......in hope. One reason for my low interest in this high profile event is our track record. We send a baraat in Olympics, most athletes perform terribly and then we also create a few controversies!!! I agree that the last three outings had been good (by our standards). Leander Paes, Karnam Malleswari and Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore made us proud in the last three olympics. But given the population of our country as well as the size of our Olympic contingent, only one medal in each of the last three Olympics was a poor performance. Once a member of the Nigerian team (if I am not mistaken) had commented that "India takes the olympic motto (Winning is not everything, participation matters) very seriously". Shameful but true. We watch the Olympics in hope that we will get to hear the national anthem but we get to hear such comments. This is the reason behind my low interest. But this Olympic was different........

Lets first start with the negative points;

• Padam Shri Sania Mirza. I can not understand why the babe gets so much attention. Afterall, what is her claim to fame. She has won only one WTA event and that too an event in Hyderabad!!! Agreed that she is the only woman tennis player from India who broke into the top 30 ranking. But honestly, WTA tour's impression in my mind took a major hit because of Sania's rise. Entire India follows her matches but most news headlines read "Sania crashes out in the first round". I do not know how she ever made it to the top 30. Hard to believe that there are several more incompetent (read: worse) players on the WTA circuit. Anyways, coming back to the topic, Padam Shri Mirza left her first round match midway, citing an injury. She was posing for photographs on the day before (source: newspapers) and was ready to play the doubles match the next day!!!! Injury? Bullshit!!! She is just an incompetent player who does not want to get exposed. A loss in sports is okay. It should not be taken too seriously. Even Bradman used to get out on zero. What should not be tolerated is wrong attitude. Sania does not look serious. She did not even dress appropriately for the opening ceremony. Such players should get a kick on their rear side and should not be allowed to represent the country. In any case, there is no point sending women tennis players to Olympics. It is a huge wastage of resources.......and prayers.
• Lt. Col Rathore. I do not have any problems with his performance. Any sportsperson can have an off day. No issues over there. But the conduct was inappropriate. Lt. Col Rathore was sporting a beard in the tournament. Agreed, it was not an army event. Yet, he is an army officer and should have behaved like one. I was hugely disappointed by his conduct especially when I am reading the biography of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw.
• Did not have much hopes from others, however I must say the performances of Gagan Narang and Manavjit Sandhu were disappointing. There were huge expectations from Lee-Hesh but that was just our typical optimism, especially when the guys are not gelling together. And, why do we even send Anjali Bhagwat???
• Support staff. Sania Mirza's mother travelled to Beijing as the manager of the women's team!!! There was a huge uproar. An official of the Indian Tennis Federation explained on national television that he has personally seen Mirza senior taking good care of the team and she is a great manager. Is there anyone who is stupid enough to buy that? I would like to see Mirza senior as a manager of the team when Sania is not playing. I do not think that is gonna happen....ever. Moving on, many other players of the Indian contingent could not take their coaches to the Olympics. Instead, officials were sent!!!! Absurd and Shameful!!!

Ok, enough of negative points. Lets talk about the positives now. There are five main positives. Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar. The first three have medals to show, however one must appreciate the great performance of Akhil and Vijender. The story of most of these men is inspiring. Apart from Bindra, all of these men come from a humble background. One can only imagine how difficult it would have been for these men to chase their dreams. Nothing to take away from Bindra as well. The guy has all the resources, thanks to a super-rich dad. Yet, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve what he achieved. Other good performances included the shuttlers, Saina Nehwal and Anup Sridhar and the archers.

Overall, we came up with a great performance in this Olympics. We exceeded our expectations. There were several players in the contingent who won the medal and several others who came close. Fair enough. And, this Olympics was special as we got to hear our national anthem. We owe it to you Abhinav!!!