The 2012 Olympics Thread

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 08 Aug 2012 19:22

if our coaches and specialists dont get international exposure via competitions or indeed enough indian competitive preparation, they are not going to be leading edge

poonia has already decried the lack of domestic competition in her event

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 08 Aug 2012 19:33

I'm all for exposure to competition, undoubtedly a good investment given the eternal keystone cops routine of the National Games. I'm talking about training. Is it difficult to prepare someone to perform in the vicinity of a bronze medal backed by our grand Sports Institute of India before sending him or her to Europe or America? It seems like the expense would more than cover any equipment deficit for present and future sports people.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 08 Aug 2012 19:41

i bet if we had a reality tv show to find athletes we'd do really well!!

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 08 Aug 2012 19:52

Crossing the Politics that exists at the Interschool/Collegiate level and reaching the National team is an achievement in itself.

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 08 Aug 2012 20:40

Lalmohan wrote:
saravana wrote:If access to world class infra and facilities are major factors where are the second or third gen Indian kids or the guys who go on sports quota to the.first world?
still queuing up to become doctors and lawyers, and not doing enough sports. its about culture as well

Yes saar, attitude and critical mass. I would like to think an athlete winning a medal like a wave hitting the high water mark, there has to be a solid body of water underneath for a drop to hit the high water mark. The more people take up the sport, the better we will do.
Atleast in my personal limited experience here in India, I can see lot of kids taking up sports and not just playing casual games but taking up coaching lessons in tennis, basketball and swimming with lot of apartments having atleast a gym,pool and tennis court(with varying quality) which seem to be perennially occupied. These are not bad developments.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 08 Aug 2012 20:50

Congrats to Mery Kom. Her lack of either height or reach was the main problem - she's fighting 2 classes above her typical 46kg pinweight one because this is the lowest available. All her opponents so far have been much bigger, and she got this far simply because of tactical experience coupled with aggression.

Good luck to Devendro - he's more evenly matched in his bout, and if he wins, he has a cracker of a semifinal up ahead, probably against Chinese world/olympic champ Zou Shiming.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 08 Aug 2012 20:51

Dev's bout at 8:45pm CST Wednesday.
http://www.london2012.com/boxing/event/ ... index.html

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 08 Aug 2012 20:59

congrats mery kom. chest bumping proud of you.

its already 16:40 in london. laishram game at 20:45. 4 hours from now. where did 8:45pm come from?

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 08 Aug 2012 21:02

Devendro's previous opponent was the Hot favorite to win the Beijing Gold Medal. The Chinese were really scared of the Mongolian. However at the start of the Final he injured his shoulder and the Chinese won. So no need to Dhoti shiver here...

The only factor here will be judging. If the match stays close, We know who will win

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 08 Aug 2012 21:03

Lalmohan wrote:i bet if we had a reality tv show to find athletes we'd do really well!!

Excellent idea and it would really measure the genuine interest in the nation for sports.

Congrats, Mery Kom for the bronze. Well done indeed. Both non-shooting medals were from women.

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 08 Aug 2012 21:39

not a bad idea lal-ji, but as much as we like our tamasha, we dont want to be a part of it. everybody loves rakhi sawant, nobody wants their dotter be one. for this to work out it must have a certain level of solemnity about it. the idea should be show achievements in the field as a purushaartha, as something great.

in the US itself, as you know, being the best in the country amounts to something. that should be the goal for us too.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 08 Aug 2012 21:51

There are TV shows like Sasuke in Japan, and the US spinoff Ninja Warrior, that show contestants up against tough obstacle courses. They're very popular in their respective countries, and particularly among the CrossFit/MMA types here. Shows like that are good bets towards developing a great focus on an active life and fitness among the general population.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 08 Aug 2012 22:27

the basic need is for lots more school, district and state competitions in as many sports as possible, part private, part state - that alone will generate interest, especially if there is a prize or scholarship at the end of it

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 08 Aug 2012 22:28

btw - can i ask any IIT'ians here - how much sports did you do during kallej dins?

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 08 Aug 2012 22:32

Lalmohan wrote:the basic need is for lots more school, district and state competitions in as many sports as possible, part private, part state - that alone will generate interest, especially if there is a prize or scholarship at the end of it

There are several such events already. Its not like they don't exist. Once you get selected past a certain level, corruption, nepotism sets in. The only way then is to practice privately and focus on private events... Govt/state organized events won't produce any talent.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 08 Aug 2012 22:41

I think that line of questioning doesn't serve much purpose. The MIT student body is not one that produces Olympians either. By that age, the person is clearly not on the sports track if he's in a top tech school. Even in the US, the top sportsmen end up in schools with a long history of sports patronage - Berkeley, Stanford, USC to name some in Calif, as well as military academies like West Point and Annapolis. Starting around 5-6 years old and identifying talent and physiological ability at that age is the norm now.

Further, we have made measurable progress within the last decade at every level - CWG, AG and now OG. What we lack now is the kind of training and effort it takes from being strong at CWG to being a top 5 ranker at AG level. If we can do that, it can ensure multiple golds at Olympic level depending on the sport. We got 14 golds in Guangzhou. If we can get 20-25 golds in Incheon 2014, then the portents for Rio 2016 are very good.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 08 Aug 2012 22:50

suraj - berkeley, stanford and harvard are certainly big sponsors of sports AND have high academic excellence. the point is they cater for both types of students. afaik the indian system doesnt have this. maybe they should start sports scholarships?

kshatriya - i know they exist, but there are not perhaps enough of them and as you say, after a certain level it gets mired in the usual nonsense

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 08 Aug 2012 23:01

I personally know a Davis Cup prospect who has now left Indian Tennis for good and moved on to foreign shores... He was much better than any of our current players.... However he or his family did not the money nor patience to deal thru the maze of ITA.. What is a guy like Karthik Chidambaram doing in ITA ? The less said about the allotment of Sports Quota in the some states the better.

Unless we have sporting infrastructure in Schools, Colleges, Apartments etc. we will only be at the same level. Infrastructure is key. Even if we have multiple tournaments , All these will use the same broken down Infrastructure..so nothing might come out of it. We still play National/State level Basketball tournaments on Tar Tops How many Olympic size swimming pools does each city have. Recently a kid injured himself trying to learn diving....

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 08 Aug 2012 23:26

I know JU has a sports quota but I think the criterion is rather lax, because someone I know who was rather mediocre in sports used it to get a coveted ECE seat. it caters more to good students with avg sports skills rather than avg students with good sports skills.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 08 Aug 2012 23:51

Lalmohan wrote:suraj - berkeley, stanford and harvard are certainly big sponsors of sports AND have high academic excellence. the point is they cater for both types of students. afaik the indian system doesnt have this. maybe they should start sports scholarships

Yes, and my point is that IIT is not such a school, nor is MIT. That is why I specifically mentioned the latter and contrasted that with places like Berkeley. I take your point that other 'allrounder' universities in India can have better sports facilities, but I'm saying that 'what did you do in IIT' is little more than a rhetorical question here.

Infrastructure is just one aspect of it. The more important question in a free system is can any sportsman in India reasonably ask "if I spend my entire adolescent life training to excel in my sport, can I expect to have help after I'm through ?" The answer to this now is a resounding NO. There are plenty of sports we can succeed in that don't take a lot of money and infrastructure - track and field events being one.

ManjaM already showed just how much a pittance the sports participation scholarships are. Even Vijay Kumar needs the sports minister to state his case to be promoted out of turn from subedar .

This is not China, where they can pluck out kids from families, train them and then discard them, with the few fortunate ones benefiting from their fame. They have plenty of AG/OG medalists sweeping streets and carrying bricks at construction sites.

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 08 Aug 2012 23:52

Exactly.. So proper sportsmen are getting weeded to the Bottom. If someone has good sporting skills he most likely will be an average student...It will be very hard to be good in sports and in studies So what is the need of such a "sports" quota ...The good student with Avg Sports skill is not going to become a sportsman ... In states like TN the quota is now manipulated and sold for money

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 09 Aug 2012 00:22

Sports quota in at college level in India is the biggest joke...used to get back door entries for wards of influential people..more often that not, the sportsperson who gets through this quota would have managed a national level tournament or entry into his sports through contacts...and these contacts will help him to get into a good college through such quotas..only very few genuine sportsmen get into good colleges through this system.

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 09 Aug 2012 00:25

Geeta Phogat has got a first round bye and will be pitted against 2008 bronze medalist Tonya Verbeek in Pre quarters.

She is comparatively on the easier half of the draw.. First match is going to be hard and then she runs into another medalist in the quarters/ semis if she makes it that far.

The only good thing is she will run into the Top ranked Japanese in the finals. She is close to unbeatable.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 09 Aug 2012 00:26

I don't know about others but IIT-M has excellent sport facilities, far better than most other colleges in our area. CEG occasionally used those facilities for its 2nd year sports camps. It wasn't heavily used back then.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 09 Aug 2012 00:46

Sansarpur village that has given many hockey heros in past needs an astroturf and have been demanding from last 20+ years but!!!

http://sansarpurhockey.blogspot.com/

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 09 Aug 2012 00:48

Sansarpur: Sansarpur, a tiny village in Punjab, known for its close association with the game of hockey has produced more than 100 national level players and about 14 Olympians. With the number of Olympians that have come from Sansarpur, this village in Jalandhar could well have had its own international hockey team. The village's only dream is to have an Astro turf along with other facilities for potential players. However, realizing this dream is proving to be difficult. Authorities over the years have ignored Sansarpur's demand despite its claim of being the nursery of Indian hockey. Despite all odds, the enthusiasm for the game continues, with more than 100 children practicing here everyday. "This is the only ground where the kids can practice, but if the Army asks us to move out then we are helpless," says Harbeant Singh, a former India player. Apparently, the ground belongs to the Army and could very soon be reclaimed. "Players are not facing any problems but the spirit for the game is slowly fading away. And if it rains the conditions become worse," said Sabdeep Singh, a player. Sansarpur has seen players like Colonel Gurmeet Singh, Udham Singh and Ajit Pal Singh, all of whom are natives of this village.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 09 Aug 2012 01:07

Devendro vs Paddy next!!! Boxing

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Aug 2012 01:08

Come on!!! Beautiful shots

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 09 Aug 2012 01:12

What the hell, how the heck did that Irish guy lead 7-5?

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 09 Aug 2012 01:13

same old story!!

Ardeshir · Post by **Ardeshir** » 09 Aug 2012 01:13

Irish guy leading 7-5!
One judge scored in favour of India, two in favour of Ireland.

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 09 Aug 2012 01:14

Now points are taken away from our guy. Brit guy pushed our guy down I dont see any points docked. Laishram is getting a little frustrated.

Ardeshir · Post by **Ardeshir** » 09 Aug 2012 01:16

It's all over. 17-10 to the Irish guy.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Aug 2012 01:17

Over I think. Unles he gets a lot of hits in

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 09 Aug 2012 01:19

So much for the fancied boxing team. Not a single semifinalist in the men's category is a poor showing indeed. The wrestling contingent is the only remaining one with realistic medal chances now.

The boxing contingent doesn't appear to have figured out how to deal with the scoring system, unlike the opponents. Very disappointing performance in boxing, redeemed only by our stellar female boxer.

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 09 Aug 2012 01:22

23-18 , atleast the third round our guy prevailed in the scoring.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 09 Aug 2012 01:25

The wrestling contingent is the only remaining one with realistic medal chances now.

I doubt whether anybody will get to semi final stage.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Aug 2012 01:25

Paddy was a good fighter technically, he blocks well and is smart.... Laishram made a few silly mistakes IMHO. But he put up a solid fight

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 09 Aug 2012 01:26

Laishram showed a lot of fight, to my layman's eye, he should won the first round. Second round he fouled and third round definitely belonged to Laishram. Hopefully in Rio he gets a medal.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 09 Aug 2012 01:40

devendro has a lot of energy, but his punching was not accurate. he was also over aggressive thus lowering his defence allowing the irish guy in with a lot of accurate punching. overall if you discount the fouls, rd 2 and 3 were even while devendro lost rd 1. devendro needs to work on the accuracy of his punching and his defence instead of trying to do a street brawl. yesterday, vijinder could have shown more aggression and hunger to win. overall disappointed that we did not medal in men's boxing.