Neglect of Indian athletes is also an Olympic-time story


So is our team eyeing a formal kit for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics? Our wedding ceremonies are much grander than the one France had earlier this week. As we say in Delhi, “the vibe is good here”.

On a serious note, Team India’s satirical humiliation will, incongruously, be the defining moment for the country’s most important sporting tour in four years. Unless, of course, the glimmer of a medal makes us forget how we repeatedly let our athletes down. Shooter Manu Bhaker Cheering for his bronze, Deepika Kumari India’s archery team became online villains after losing 0-6 to the Netherlands.

What the Olympics represent

The modern Olympics are important, as they always have been, not only for what they represent in certain weeks but also for what they represent before and after the opening and closing ceremonies. They are scrutinized, overanalyzed, politicized and sometimes even totemized. The terrorist threat surrounding each version of the games emphasizes their geopolitical importance. Like their ancient counterparts, the modern Olympics are tasked with bridging nations and cultures. They are a celebration of the indomitable spirit of humanity that burns brightly even when countries and cultures are on the brink of destruction. Hence the loud cheers, reserved every four years for groups marching under refugee flags.

The Olympics have served as an antidote to strife and conflict since ancient times. The Greeks loved to fight. But they also stopped their war business for games. Even amidst the horrors of the Trojan War The Iliad, Achilles organizes funeral games to honor the memory of Patroclus. Many observers of the Games in both their ancient and modern incarnations believe that the Olympics are all about winning. Certainly, hymns to glory in Homer’s epics and other classical texts such as Pindar’s Odes reserved for victorious athletes may have encouraged this idea. Nothing could be further from the truth. The spirit of the Games, especially the Olympics, was about much more than the stage.

A question of honor

In ancient Greek culture, the desire for honor, Philotimiaand desire for victory, Philonicia, run in parallel. Heroes are heroes because they win or lose with their honor intact. Agamemnon, a great warrior, is no hero and meets a heroic end by being killed in a bathtub at his home after returning victorious from the Trojan War. Achilles, had it not been for the funeral games, would not have emerged as a hero The Iliad. His anger and vengeance subside after being immersed in the nobility of the honorable competition. The Greeks didn’t have much respect for a man – women weren’t in the game, they were often the prize – who couldn’t stand to see another man win. Phthonos – the tendency to deprive other people of good and happiness – was acknowledged but not celebrated.

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It must be noted that honor codes only apply to humans. The gods and goddesses could lie, cheat, quarrel, and be base as they wished. Only those who die can aspire to heroism; Only they had to make a choice. Antilochus does not make an ideal choice by urging his horse mercilessly while competing against Menelaus. His zeal for victory should not burden his animals. he loses Even if he won, Antilochus would have to swear that he had not taken unfair means.

The modern Olympics aim to carry on this legacy of honor. And it’s not limited to competition venues. Using the Olympic platform to make a political statement is now the norm. The throwing of red roses by Algerian groups into the Seine River near a protest site where 300 Algerians were allegedly killed in 1961 following a French police crackdown is a powerful gesture to remember the victims of colonialism. Being respected and successful are rarely in conflict now.

Indian athletes are already winners

Coming back to the Indian team, their success lies in their presence at the Olympics. They are a case study in respect and humility. Racing against time, overcoming endless systemic, social and logistical obstacles if they are able to give their country’s colors—however non-aesthetically rendered—down the scene in that barge with pride and dignity, they are victorious before they even compete. India’s athletes are often neglected.

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This should bring us to the question: What should winning the Olympics mean to Indians beyond the immediate photo ops? And what about the promised infrastructural and systemic reforms that allow Indian kids to even think of sports as a real choice? Why do we, the people, expect any glory and respect from our athletes at the Olympics when we do not fuel their fire with honorable behavior on our part? We are quick to throw them under the bus for not being able to handle the flash-in-the-pan moment of limelight they get after winning any game.

Forgiveness after so much knowledge?

(Nishtha Gautam is a Delhi-based writer and academic.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author



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