As exhilarating as that victory was, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise if you've been following Nepali sports of late. In the last few years we've witnessed Nepali athletes and teams consistently punching above their weight by qualifying for prestigious events and putting in good performances (with or without success) in some notable sporting events. The exploits of Nepal's cricket team, the triumph in the Bangabandhu Cup, the medals in the recently concluded SAG or the achievements of Mira Rai (albeit not in a mainstream sport) have shown us that athletes can deliver results if we can only lend them a hand in their quest.
It's a miracle that our sportsmen can even compete, let alone accomplish their herculean feats, given the lack of support and the constant political wrangling that characterizes our sporting associations and regulatory bodies. Whether it is CAN, ANFA or the dispute between the two NOC's, our sports bodies mirror the wider problem that plagues our politics and bureaucracy: a tendency for post seeking and opportunism.
Is it really surprising then that some of our athletes choose to run away in a foreign country, preferring to live a life of servitude illegally rather than pinning their hopes on state assistance? It doesn't help that instead of nurturing and encouraging talent we have sports ministers that help our athletes escape as alleged during the recent Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Moreover, our administrative set up also gives one a sense of the lack of priority towards sports, with the sports ministry always lumped together with some other portfolio (education, youth) like an afterthought.
While sports may not really be a priority for the government it doesn't stop our sporting delegations from being bloated with entourages comprising assorted sideshows who have successfully lobbied to accompany our sportsmen abroad and get in some 'ghum gham' in the process. And when this 'ghum gham' is over they leave the athletes high and dry not unlike the recent incident with Wushu players in Jhapa.
In the interests of fairness, I should tell you that they do occasionally show an interest in this area. Their apathy to sporting events won't prevent them from basking in the glow of its success. There will be no shortage of officialdom ready at the airports, with their khadas and malas to welcome our heroes on their triumphant return. Even as I write this our sports minister and joint secretary have already taken up pole position at Bagdogra Airport to welcome our lads home. Why wouldn't they? There are sound bites to be given, photo opportunities to be had, and credit to be taken for their success. But what happens after all the dust has settled? It's the same old indifference that rears its ugly head.
In the national context, football as a sport is relatively lucky (even taking into account the state funding advantage cricket enjoys) because the sport enjoys mass popularity and the proliferation of grassroots tournaments all over the country enables footballers to make a half decent living. But what about other sports? It is simply not possible to be a full time athlete in Nepal and sustain yourself unless you are in the armed forces or police.
How long can we continue to expect miracles from our athletes if we don't provide them the motivation to do it?Even the National Games, which are supposed to be pinnacle of national sporting achievement, is a distinctly underwhelming affair with its shoddy organization and arrangements that leave a lot to be desired.
Cue the huge celebrations on winning a tournament with a lot of people getting annoyed with the over the top celebrations. I personally don't have any problems with it because – as my friend pointed out – we might as well overdo it because we ain't winning the World Cup anytime soon. However, we should be acknowledging all our athletes and not just the footballers because all of them have battled significant odds whether we watched them do it on television or not.
In the process of the SAG games they have contributed more to nation building than most politicians will ever manage in their lifetimes. They brought out in us, through their efforts, the kind of 'Nepali' pride that our vacuous politicians couldn't manage to rouse with all of their hollow words over the last few months. For putting the 'Jai' in Jai Nepal, we thank them all.
gunjan.u@gmail.com
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