Indian Hockey sealed its fate from participating in the ensuing Olympic Games with its defeat against Britain on Sunday in Santiago. This was the bitterest pill it has to swallow after having participated in 18 successive Olympic games and thus this black day would be etched in the memories of everyone, who witnessed the unfolding of events, whether as a spectator interested in the game or participants of the game in whatever capacity it could have been. In the immediate scenario, it was evident that the British Team could win over because of their deployment of impeccable skills accompanied with all pervading enthusiasm;but to attribute the defeat only to the superiority of the other side would hide the other underlying causes which led to India’s routing.
There were omnipotent signals of the deterioration over a period of years. These signals were either ignored or handled with shortsighted and halfhearted measures which led to this major crisis. While it is evident that everyone responsible for the game has been busy in shifting the blame or finding scapegoats, the truth of the matter is that the reasons for failure is collective, from administration to government to coaches to players. There were frequent changes of coaches, unabated shuffling of squads, unimaginative programming of events with least concern for the physical fitness of the players and a plethora of non-quantifiable factors as demoralization and all pervading low-self-esteem which all have finally taken its toll on the game.
Could this game which enjoys its popularity next only to cricket be resurrected? Considering the fact that Indian Team had the distinction of participating in Olympic Games for 18 successive sessions since 1928, there is no doubt about the skills of the players. If this be the case, the need of the hour is to admit the errors and carryout an appraisal of what caused them and wholeheartedly work towards removal or non-recurrence of the same. After all, it is a game which was built by such towering stars as Dhayan Chand, K.D.Singh or the like over period of eight decades. The juniors are shaping well and we have to utilized the skills and expertise of the former and present players to equip them with better and superior skills to face an ever increasing competitive atmosphere. Longterm planning coupled with dedication, determination and collective team spirit would restore this game to its original heights.
Instead of throwing up the arms in despair and indulge in mudslinging, let us look forward to honest and positive efforts to restore the glory of this glorious game.
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