Columns

The state units are in a state of stupor. Perhaps, this is one reason why there is thin participation at the national level. Sriram Singh reports. Know the writer

You will rarely find a piece praising a politician in these pages. We sports journalists have seen far too many of that breed ruin our federations. Sukhwant Basra reports.

For years now, I have been asked this question with monotonous regularity: Who next after Leander and Mahesh to consistently represent India at the Grand Slams? “No one”, has been my standard answer. Sadly, the system that breeds talent does not exist in our country. Mahesh Bhupathi writes.

On Sunday, Delhi blew hot and cold. The sultry, muggy conditions made running difficult on a flat and picturesque course.

The idea was to promote sport in India. Somewhere down the line, appeasing the Union sports minister, who is also the head of the governing body of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), too became a priority, Navneet Singh reports.

Amid the clamour to celebrate India’s best-ever Olympic show, a visit to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana near New Delhi serves as a reality check. Here tomorrow’s stars live and train in conditions that at best is, well, depressing, Navneet Singh reports.

With the Olympics just over the athletes, especially the medal winners, fit into three categories: the ones who were lucky to have won, the ones who won but were then caught for doping and the ones who defied all odds and human capabilities and really wowed the world. Manisha Malhotra writes.

"What a journey it has been for me! But I have put in a lot of hard work and made sacrifices to achieve my goal." The champion feels a more scientific approach will help India outgun competitors. Flashback | Five-point agenda

India’s best show at the Olympics will be an inspiration for the country’s paralympians when they line up at London. Devendra Jhajharia writes.

Like every sportsperson has a shelf life, every coach, no matter how good he is in his subject, too has an expiry date.

Mumbai boasts three Olympic gold medallists, all for hockey. One of them, MM Somaya, who grew up in Byculla, part of the winning team in the 1980 Moscow games, says India may yet pull off a medal in London. Ayaz Memon writes.

Sporting bodies are relaxing clothing rules to help more women compete in sports.

Motor racing has always had the problem that it is an activity that requires a great deal of space. Originally it was easy: the races took place on open roads. That ended with the disastrous Paris-Madrid race in 1903. The next step was permanent speedways, a trend that was kicked off by the construction of Brooklands in 1907, which created a trend towards oval racing.

The steering committee of the sports ministry, which clears the proposal of elite players to train abroad, needs to do a reality check. Even the Athletics Federation of India is at fault for proposing their names.