Saina Nehwal who was an olympic quarterfinalist and the current World No.10,the first Indian lady to accomplish such heights in badminton was in for a shocker from the passport authorities.
Her passport was not renewed in time which could have prevented her from participating in the Badminton Masters in Malaysia where one gets to rub shoulders with the best in the business.It was only after the media took her case up that she got her passport,just in time for her to apply for a Visa to Malaysia.Even Saina expressed her disappointment with the RPO in no unclear terms.
This shows the way the sportsmen are treated in our country and we expect medals from them every Olympics.This has robbed her of crucial practice.I wonder how many times would this have happened to a cricketer?The fact is that every Olympics raises hopes for other sports to flourish in India but the fact remains that we remain a one sport nation and would continue to remain so if our attitude towards our sportsmen does'nt undergo a drastic change.
Anyways, I wish Saina all the best for the tournament and hope that she cherishes being a part of that tournament and take valuable experience out of it.
1 comment:
According to me she is the Indian sportsperson of the year 2008.Some might argue that how can it not be Abhinav Bindra.There is no denying that he is a consummate shooter and fetched India its first Olympic gold.Somwehere along the line there was always an opinion among the media and the people that shooting was bound to produce a gold one day.Its just that the day came this soon.
With her exploits in a physically demanding sport,she has changed the way Indian women are perceived.They are no longer seen as weak creatures whose only job is to serve their husbands.She represents the women in India and seeing her play and compete against top ranked players gives me hope that the day is not far when she will be at the pinnacle of the sport.Wow,that would be great.she isthe World Junior Champion and at 19,India should invest heavily in her if it does'nt want to let go a sure shot Olympic medal.
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