Sport in India should take a leaf out of the national hockey team's book
2015 has been quite significant for India in a lot of ways – the AAP shocked the nation by winning the New Delhi elections, Section 66A of the Information Technology Act was rescinded and June 21st was proclaimed as International Yoga Day.
The nation also witnessed the esteemed Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, make multiple trips to foreign countries to develop trade relationships and progress the economy. Now this isn’t a first, but the sheer volume of the voyages got the media’s curiosity more than a few times.
The latter notwithstanding, one thing is clear – India has a lot to learn from other nations – in economics, infrastructure, policy and in no small part, sport. The same principles apply – visit nations that have made more headway, learn how, consider what needs to be done to replicate it and apply. Oversimplified as that may sound, it is a good place to start.
Consider the national hockey team’s successful outing in Europe, earlier this year and their recent triumph in New Zealand. The latter was a six test series that they won on foreign soil against a higher ranked side. Not even the doyen of Indian sports, cricket, can make that claim.
And what makes it more remarkable is that the next generation of Indian hockey is also being put through the same paces. The Indian Colts returned as runners-up from the recent Sultan of Johor Cup, losing the final in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out. This is the first time in three years they have not claimed the top spot on the podium and special mention must be made of the Brits, who displayed their famed tenacity and were the only team to have beaten India in the tournament.
The Golden Girls of Hockey aren’t too far behind, topping their table in the Hockey World League Semifinals and finishing fifth in the Finals, which sent them into the Olympics for the first time in a staggering thirty-six years.
An integral part of their respective success have been their coaches – Roelant Oltmans and Mathias Ahrens. Oltmans had worked with stalwarts of the sport like Teun de Nooijer, Taeke Taekema, Floris Jan Bovelander Robin Black and Taco van den Honert before spending the last three years with the men’s national team. Ahrens mentored the Scottish national team that qualified for the Commonwealth Games in 2006.
It is easy to observe that having mentors who’ve coached teams who have had better success in the sport would benefit the team a great deal. After the fracas over coaching that took place over the last couple of years, it seems that stability has been achieved by Indian hockey. The timing could not have been better, with the Hockey World League Finals and the Olympics looming.
Indian hockey seems to be going places, with the Hockey India League being well received and a financial boon for the players. The triumphs on the international stage may not seem stupendous, but they are the little drops that will one day form an ocean, hearkening back to the heyday of Indian hockey.
It is the hope of every Indian, sports fan or not, that the same can be said of football, basketball and other sports that don’t get their due. Take baby steps but keep your eye on the horizon.