September 23rd, 2008 
harikumar It’s been about a month since the Beijing Games ended and no, we have not forgotten that this was the best ever Olympics for India. And yes we still remember the three young men who brought home, amidst scenes of great jubilation, three medals – one gold and two bronze. Suddenly in this cricket obsessed nation people started taking an interest in shooting, boxing and wrestling and wanted to know more about Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh. Suddenly for a change the spotlight was on them and not cricketers. Suddenly corporate houses and state governments were distributing crores of rupees in awards to a trio who were not even remotely associated with cricket.
Unfortunately in this country only one sport really matters, and my view is that once the cricket season gets into full swing and the India-Australia Test series commences, discussion on the Beijing Olympics and the three medalists will just about evaporate. Public memory is short when it comes to other sports. We all went through the same experience after Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. When Karnam Malleswari created history by becoming the first woman athlete to win a medal at the Olympics she was feted about and for a time was the toast of the nation.
The weightlifter is hardly talked about these days. Four years later when Rajavardhan Singh Rathore became the first Indian to win an individual silver medal in the Olympics he became a much sought after persona – for a while. However upbeat one tries to be, however much one hopes that things will turn around for the better in other sports as far as a wider acceptance for them is concerned, I am afraid things will not change. Soon the names of the three medalists at Beijing will figure less and less in discussions in bars and restaurants, offices and homes.
Things were a little different concerning Leander Paes when he won the bronze medal in tennis at Atlanta in 1996. For one thing he was already well known as a sportsman who had notched up a few achievements. And secondly tennis is one of the better known sports in the country. Next to cricket there is a strong base for tennis in this country. India tennis has some great achievements against its name and the sport enjoys a considerable following.
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