London 2012 has been the best Olympics ever for India. With a total of six medals – two silver and four bronze – India has put its best foot forward this Olympics. Why am I, a non-sports enthusiast blogging about this? Well, this last week has been a very proud one for me. As an Indian student in London I have had some very special moments this Games when my country bettered its records and gave me a reason to walk with my head held high.
Biggest ever Indian contingent at the Olympics 2012
I have seen the stupendous support and sponsorship that the British home team has received in the lead up to ‘the Games’ as it is called here. In addition to the world class training facilities, this kind of support and fanfare has gone a long way in ensuring success for the team. When I juxtapose this with the kind of luke-warm response India gives for any sport other than cricket, it doubles the respect I have for the Indian athletes who pursued and gave their best shot at various non-cricket sports. These athletes who are pretty much overshadowed by the cricket craze gripping India making it neglect its own national game, have given me a reason to stop and think what cricket and its commercialisation has done to Indian sports! A couple of articles I found that voice my thoughts on the subject. Cricket, Cricket, Cricket! Why? , How cricket has killed other forms of sport , Why Just Cricket?
This post is a dedication to all those athletes who represented India at the Olympic Games and the six who won even in the face of inconsistent judging and bias.
Gagan Narang_Men’s 10m Air rifle bronze medallist
Mary Kom_Women’s 51 Kg boxing Bronze medallist
Vijaykumar_Men’s 25m rapid fire silver medallist
Saina Nehwal_Badminton Women’s singles Bronze medallist
Yogeshwar Dutt_Men’s 60kg Freestyle wrestling Bronze medallist
Sushil Kumar_Men’s 66 Kg Freestyle wrestling silver medallist
And a pic of the cute little mascots, Wenlock & Mandeville in Diary milk chocolate to celebrate the victory 😀 (and they tasted yum).
Wenlock & Mandeville
It has been an amazing experience to be here in London during the Games and watch the lead up to it and the whole event up close and personal. When I made the decision to take a year and a half of sabbatical from work and move to the UK for a Writing degree this was something I had not considered but now that I have seen the Games in its entirety, I can only say Woah… What an experience! 🙂 I was lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. 🙂
The Color Purple 