Games are true phenomenon of human psychology. A thrilling encounter could hasten blood flow in your arteries. The soothing sound of your national anthem during medal ceremony could make you as proud of your existence as anything else in life could. One winning point in a close encounter could fill your eyes with tears of joy and relief. A truly important win over a worthy opponent could make you collapse in your coach’s arm to sink in the reality and to thank him/her for all the hard work. The support and cheers of spectators could make you give that extra bit in the game to stumble over the line. The way you handle your loss or win after matches could vary from totally unacceptable behavior to godly modest behavior.
I could just go on and on about games and emotions that these games generate. But, I would rather look at the broader picture here. I was skeptical about these games. I was not alone for sure. This was evident with great number of public dialogues shown on national media on the issue. I was not even convinced in spending so much money to host games of such high stature. These games have really opened my eyes to various other issues other than games themselves.
These games have really helped India and her citizens to start thinking about Olympic Games in a more optimistic way. I am sure now Indians will take inspiration from so many previously unknown Indian athletes to make India a potent power in world of sports in coming years. I am also confident that government will encourage and support games financially and start an athlete friendly games policy. Go India Go! Have more fun in competitions.
I feel that games of such stature are perfect platform to showcase and build an international image of the country in today’s materialistic world. Marketing has become more necessary now than has ever before. An appealing nation could attract tourists from around the world along with huge foreign currency and could become an investor’s paradise. I hope and believe that these games have added weight to ‘Incredible India’ story.
Another issue that is compelling to write about is media handling. Media in our proud democratic country is completely independent. Our own media slammed the games so bad that it provided fissionable negative energy to western media (not all) that is ever hungry to mock at India and her capabilities. Even the smallest of issues were blown out of proportion. Some of the western media reported of snake charmers rather than athletic achievements. It brings me to give a food for thought to Indian media fraternity. Have you achieved your aim? Do you think the western media would be as critical of their own future games as they were of these games? I am of the opinion that media in those part of the world is practically helping in building a brand of the coming games. It’s not always about ‘breaking news’.
Finally, I always thought of myself as a sports lover. CWG 2010 confirmed my belief. I was glued to the games the whole 11 days and I am not regretting watching them even when my final semester MBA exams are starting from 19th October. I loved each and every moment of this great boost to Olympic sports in India.
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