Bronze Medal for Men’s Hockey marks the rise of a new cult of achievers

Nothing succeeds like success and the winning statement has a magical influence. The ecstasy that helmed the country with Indian Men’s Hockey team victory has not been just about the podium finish. The colour of the metal is incidental since it wasn’t about wining laurels. But by making a mark India has inched closer towards reclaiming its pristine glory. The win has rekindled new hope and strengthened their resolve. It shattered the burden of failures and bestowed new spirit and enthusiasm.

Clearly, at a time, when the nation is finding reasons to be distraught and worried, the Olympics has rightly forced the sports buffs and enthusiasts to find a reason to revel and celebrate the perseverance, grit and determination of ordinary Indians. With their winning habits, the new genre of sports icons is emerging as symbols of hope and inspiration. Undeterred by hardships, financial constraints and dire poverty, raising from humble origins the new breed of Indian sport stars are re-writing rules of success and scripting history.

Marching ahead with the mantra of self-belief, the gritty new champions of are now a source of inspiration for the aspirational Indians who are looking for contemporary heroes. These sports icons with their stupendous feats are changing the definition of heroes, who are usually portrayed as people with super natural powers. These ordinary Indians, often next-door neighbours hailing from non-descript locales reaching scaling the highest peaks with their hard working are now the embodiments of success.

Demography is India’s real asset. Stories of collective achievement will go a long way in inculcating a positive spirit. The multiplier effect of this positive influence will prompt youngsters to dream big and make conscious efforts to achieve them. These real time triumphs, breaking of barriers and creating new landmarks will essentially drive teeming younger generation into action.

The extraordinary achievements of ordinary men and women go a long way in inspiring the nation of over billion people. It is in this context, a podium finish by the Indian Hockey team will forever will reckoned as stupendous achievement.

The team efforts especially have a special way of binding people and celebrating the power of working together as a collective unit. Reckoned as a chaotic society and dominated by disparate voices, identities India always had more reasons to be divided than to build on their commonalities.

Crumbling under pressure, for ages Indian sportsperson despite their hard work failed to make it to the finish line. The drag of wavering self-belief has hindered their capacities to unleash their full potential.

Hockey bronze has broken that trail of disappointments and infused a new confidence. Similar to the Indian Cricket’s 2011 World Cup water shed movement which rejuvenated the spirits of youngsters and ushered them into winning ways, the Olympic podium finish would suffuse hockey players.

Hockey has been integral to Indian lives. It has special significance in India’s sports arena. Replete of ups and downs, the Indian Hockey history is truly inspiring story. Worth contemplating and emulating the lessons.

With an unparalleled record of wining eight gold medals in Hockey and scoring the most number of goals in Olympics, the Indian team struggled for over four decades to win a medal. India’s bronze at Tokyo is their third medal. Being pioneers of field hockey, India lost the inherent advantage of excelling in this sport which has been a way of live for people with the introduction of Astroturf surfaces. India struggled to play the game on the hard surface. European countries prevailed and turned around the contour of the field hockey by introducing hard surface, where technique had little role to play but benefitted the brute force and stamina.

Accustomed to a dribbling game on grass surfaces Indian players experienced difficulties in displaying technique and skill on hard surfaces due to setting in of fatigue and physical exhaustion. Nearly all the major tournaments are held on hard surfaces. This has really hurt the fortunes of Indian hockey.

Poor resource allocation to sports in general, lack of the sophisticated training facilities and Astro turf surfaces in general plagued the game. From failing to qualify in 2008 Beijing Olympics to making it to a podium finish in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Indian Hockey witnessed a major turnaround.

In 2018, when Sahara backed out from sponsoring both Men’s and Women’s hockey, for the first time a state government, Odisha signed a Rs 100 Crore deal with Hockey India for next five years. Besides building the needing infrastructure, hosting the Men’s Hockey World Championships and sponsoring Kalinga Lancers, the state has turned into cradle of hockey, grooming the next generation of players.

Overcoming the stumbling blocks of poor training facilities, insufficient government, nepotism and corruption, current generation of Indian sportsperson are wining World championships and other international tournaments announcing their arrival on the World stage.

Fervently praying for the victory of Indian Women’s Hockey team in the Bronze Medal match, here is my tribute to the new tribe of achievers…

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Fairy Tale Premier League Win of Leicester City

Sports season is on and the level of exhilaration and suspense is palpable. Be it the invincible IPL of India or the Formula 1 racing nothing enthuses young and old alike like sports. With the biggest sporting extravaganza, Rio Olympics, poised to start in couple of months, sports enthusiasts are geared to relish extraordinary stories of grit, determination and intense toil. In the meanwhile, the spectacular success story of Leicester City, Football Club, of English Premium League (EPL) created ripples in the football by clinching its maiden Premier League title. Described as “Fairy Tale Premier League Win”, the unusually taunt and avaricious football pundits are singing encomiums of Leicester City. Truly, the meteoric rise of the EPL club, precariously hanging at the cusp of the relegation zone last year, surprised everyone with their miraculous rise. In fact the club gained entry into the premier league two years ago.

Leicester City’s phenomenal triumph is a story of underdogs humbling the high and mighty. Till now the “Big Four”- Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal of English Premier League (EPL) largely dominated the game, receiving bountiful sponsorships. With their franchise shops spread across the World, they reaped the unbounded love of football enthusiasts. Indeed even the biggest scramble for the prized Premier League rested with the Big Four. Since its institution in 1992, barring a rare instance of Blackburn Rovers winning the title in 1995, Premier League title was largely held by the quartet. With two more matches to play, Leicester team assembled for £57 million, has convincingly mortified the top order clubs. The amounts invested in building the clubs as per recent study is as follows: Tottenham (£159m), Arsenal (£231m), Liverpool (£260m), Chelsea (£280m), Manchester United (£395m) and Manchester City (£415m). Leicester is fourth lowest in payroll. With Chelsea drawing the match with Tottenham Hotspurs on Monday, Leicester emerged as title winners.

EPL is the most highly watched premier league in the World and enjoys an unparalleled viewership. It has been largely observed that Champions tend to come from the top four of the previous season. Considering previous season’s performance of Leicester City, when it occupied 14^th position out of 20 no one predicted this remarkable turnaround. Most believed that the club might soon be relegated and demoted to second tier of English clubs. Last year August England betting firm Ladbrokes offered 5000-1 odds on Leicester winning the game. Even otherwise, only thrice, since the World War II, had the teams promoted from the second tier went on to win the title-Tottenham Hotspurs in 1951, Ipswich Town in 1962 and Nottingham Forest in 1978. In 2008-9 Leicester was lying in the third tier English Football Pyramid, the League one, but went on to scale the pyramid remarkably faster. The stupendous success of the team is all the more special in this modern era of football league since dollars are splurged on clubs. With a deluge of finances streaming through the top-notch clubs, the parity among clubs has become unbridgeable. Statistics from the soccer enthusiasts indicated that from 1950 through 1980, teams rose for lower tier to top tier eight times and only twice from 1981 to 1995. Clearly indicating that modern day football unlike the yester years is quite different and dramatic. Leicester’s phenomenal success is indeed very special as in contemporary times, steady rise of club in table is inextricably linked to the finances flushed into replenishing the team with high-order players. With EPL ambitiously signing deals international broadcasting cable channels for obscene amounts, dollar rush is bound to play a huge role. Increasingly, clubs supported by owners with deep pockets and harboring frenzied passion might eventually make their way to the top.

Defying all these odds, Leicester, an English Club, though not financially emaciated, scrupulously assembled committed, shrewd, hard-hitting, and disciplined chunk of mature players. Having lost its best midfielder and with team manager just fired, Leicester made a new beginning last year by hiring  Coach Claudio Ranieri, who recently had a disastrous stint as in charge of Greek National Team. Similar to proven success of the Money Ball (a sabermetric approach for selection of players constrained by limited payroll, experimented and tried by the Oakland Athletics Manager Billy Beane), armed with hard working players from unproven leagues the team spurred into action (of course, there is no evidence of employing similar approach by Leicester City). The EPL season which lasts for 38 matches from August to May every year, witnessed a steady and consistent performance from the team’s players. With every week, the team began to operate as a functional unit and steady rose to the top four places of the table. Unlike the traditional defensive style of playing characteristic of EPL clubs, Leicester’s game was quite aggressive. Simultaneously, with Big Four stumbling to find their momentum and grappling to unplug the inconsistencies, Leicester breezed past to the top with heroic performances. Last year Champions Chelsea suffered tumultuous set back with the team struggling to play together as a unit, Manchester United and Manchester City began with dispirited performances. Experts attributed Leicester’s success to the lackadaisical performances of the top teams. Thus they consider Leicester’s unexpected rise as an anomaly. In reality, the stellar performance of the teams’ trio-English Striker James Verdy, Algerian Winger Riyad Mahrez and midfielder N’Golo Kante accomplished the unthinkable. Riyad Mahrez was awarded the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year.

Simply put it’s a story of underdogs hoisting themselves to the pinnacle of accomplishment unanticipated by football savants. The victory has another angle to it, for it is a source of great pride to South Asians. Leicester is owned by Thailand billionaire Vichai Srivaddanaprabha who invested in it since its acquisition in 2010. Leicester, a city in the Midlands of England, home to Asian migrants were overjoyed at the brilliant performance of its club. For several decades, the game was largely dominated by clubs from London and Lancashire while Midland teams fought hard to find their place in the League. With this title win, soon the stands would be dominated by the ethnic minorities supporting their team.  Leicester diligently managed finances and spent £36.6 million against Manchester United’s £285 million to build an incredibly strong team. Besides, Leicester employed innovative sports science, medical and coaching team. The team suffered fewest injuries as they coopted new techniques like use of cryotherapy ice chamber that made recovery easier. For long, billions dollar worth English League was dominated by Europeans and Leicester’s triumph now has strengthened Asian association with the game.

Despite its stellar success, Leicester may not be accorded the same status are the Big Fours. But clinching the title breaking past its incipient financial barriers is truly iconic. While it may be even hard for Leicester to repeat its stint, the path tread, logistics chartered and the difficulties endured can be a true inspiration. Success wasn’t a matter of chance for Leicester. It was an outcome of outperforming the big teams in grueling games that spanned over nine months of the football season. Through its incredible display of grit and perseverance Leicester redefined operational logistics of a successful football team. As several doctrines roll out deconstructing the secret formula for remarkable success- the spirited slogan of “foxes (Leicester) will never give up” alone might have steered the unheralded club to frontiers of accomplishment. With Rio Olympics all set to be inaugurated in its finest splendor in August, undaunted tales of determination, grit and hard work of exemplary sporting personalities would energize and reawaken our latent spirits. Till then, the spirited accomplishment of little-known English club will continue to inspire. For inspiration is contagious….

 

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Oppressive Azerbaijan hosts First European Games

The two week long sporting fest of European countries for the very first time is scheduled to begin today the capital city of Azerbaijan, Baku. The frenzied action packed European Games will witness the participation of 6000 athletes from over 50 European countries competing in 20 sports events. The event owned, organised and regulated by the European Olympic Committee is going to be held every four years. European games received thumbs up when 84% of the countries voted in favour of these games at the general assembly of the European Olympic Committee in December 2012 at Rome. Azerbaijan is all set to host the biggest international sports event besides the scheduled European Grand Prix in 2016 and four matches in 2020 European Football Championship. In a move to bolster its image in the global world the Caucasian country was intent on holding the Games. Government strongly believes sports have the biggest potential to put the country on the global platform. Azerbaijan made phenomenal development strides in the span of twenty four years of its independence and could successfully bid for the international event.

Azerbaijan, a secular, Muslim country was part of the mighty Soviet Union and proclaimed independence in October 1991 before the dissolution of USSR. After independence it slowly tried to integrate into European and Euro-Atlantic structure and developed active relations with EU and is in the process of obtaining membership. Critics believe that Azerbaijan which was part of the Soviet Union has been bestowed with the honour of conducting the games for dangling towards the west. Baku, the capital is a mix of historical architectural remnants and the modern constructions gleaming under the shine of the fantastic stadia. The games have come under heavy criticism from the human rights activists since the semi-authoritarian (dictatorial) government is trying to cover up the severe clamp down on freedom of speech and political opposition under the facade of extravagant sports infrastructure. In a run towards the games, many critics, human right activists and journalists were prosecuted and jailed on unfounded charges. Now journalists from major media agencies are denied entry into the country in contrary to the spirit of the sport. Beneath the glitz and glamour of the sports is the stark reality of vicious crackdown of freedom of expression. Heart rendering tales of the plight of the journalists who questioned the dictatorship of the government were silenced by the government officials.

Unfortunately modern sporting events besides providing an opportunity for countries to make an impact on the world map have become synonyms to Vanity fairs. Ostentatious display of opulence etched with extremely grandeur opening and closing ceremonies has become common place with governments splurging billions of dollars for the international events. Be it Beijing Olympics or Sochi Winter Games or the 2014 Brazil FIFA Cup humongous amounts of public money are splurged on decking up or modernising the sports facilities. Sports in modern era are largely believed to act as incentive and catalyst sparking new change by changing the perception about the country.

But the human right activists and journalists in Azerbaijan are largely worried about existence of severe oppression in the country. International community seems to be unaware of widespread violation of human rights in the country categorised by the absence of free and fair elections, rampant corruption, no freedom of press and partly controlled internet access. They demand systemic change in the institutions of civil society. Human right activists allege that Europe is ready to absolve Azerbaijan of all oppressive practices in return for the extravagant sporting event paid by it.

While a section believes games are the way to fast-track infrastructure investment vast majority wants the oil money to be invested for future generations instead of frittering away in construction of flame towers for games. According to a modest estimate the cost of developing the infrastructure is $ 10 billion and with all this frenetic building activity the competitions are going to be suboptimal as junior athletes are expected to feature in this edition of games.  In spite of the tough opposition from within the country the government is hell bent on building swanky stadiums. Like the Gulf countries Azerbaijan believes that investing in sports will help in enhancing political, economic and diplomatic good will among the galaxy of nations and pave way for a future beyond oil and gas. While there is a jarring disparity between the gleaming new constructions and the ram shackled suburbs, the feel good rhetoric surrounding the games is expected to make up for the severe criticism on its human rights record.

Countries are now increasing using sports to burnish their image and as an instrument of soft power. Sports espouse the values of peace and freedom of the nation and bestowing the honour of conducting the games in land swamped by cries of oppression is little too indignant. Uncomfortably a new era of sports diplomacy has already begun and in spite protests undeterred authorities are going ahead with their scheme of activities. The upcoming sport events in Qatar, Russia and Almaty symbolise the proliferation of this new trend.

 

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Common Wealth Games 2014

Common Wealth Games (CWG) reminds most Indians of the notorious CWG scam, 2010.  While the games paved way for restructuring of the dilapidated infrastructure of the capital city with the relentless services of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) receiving major boost, it ensured drubbing of congress party in Delhi. CWG at Delhi were marred by several controversies wherein India earned poor reputation for its incomplete and timed out preparations. But the games will be forever cherished by Indian sports freaks due to the excellent performance of Indian athletes who finished second after Australia.

CWG is back again after 4 years and the venue for 20^th CWG is Glasgow, Scotland. The 11-day long sporting event, third after Olympics and Asian will be officially inaugurated on July 23^rd. Scotland previously hosted the games in 1970 and 1986 in Edinburg. Mascot for the games is Clyde, a thistle, named after the river that flows through Glasgow. Nearly 4900 players from 71 Common wealth countries would contest in 17 sports categories. The underlining values of the games are unity, equality and destiny.

Common Wealth group includes all the states which were territories of the British Empire. It functions as an intergovernmental organisation and operates by consensus of member states. Members have no legal obligations towards each other. But they are bound by the values of democracy, human rights and human law enshrined in the Common Wealth Charter and the ties are fostered by the quadrennial Common Wealth Games. Zimbabwe was the only country whose membership was suspended in 2002 on grounds of human rights violation and misgovernment. Gambia erstwhile member of the group has retracted its membership recently. Common wealth constitutes nearly a quarter of World’s area and spans all continents. They account for third of World’s population and represent 17% of World GDP.

Leaders of the countries meet once in two years at Common Wealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to discuss issues of mutual concern and agree on collective policies and initiatives. The group was formally constituted following the London Declaration of 1949 wherein member countries are recognised as free and equal. The Queen Elizabeth II is the head of Common Wealth. She is head of the state of other 16 countries also known as the Common Wealth Realms. Common Wealth Secretariat facilitates consultation and cooperation among the members. It also represents Common Wealth as Observer at the UN General Assembly. Due to their shared culture and heritage common wealth countries don’t treat each other as foreign. Hence while engaging in bilateral meeting they exchange High Commissioners instead of Ambassadors. In Caribbean to honour the spirit of the group, Common Wealth citizens are granted right to vote.

The first CWG were held in Hamilton, Canada in 1930 where 400 athletes from 11 countries participated. Earlier these games were referred to as British Common Wealth Games but were rechristened as CWG in the year 1978. Much like the Olympic Torch Relay the Queen’s Baton travels around 70 countries before reaching the host nation. Within the host country, the torch would tour 4000km in 400 cities and towns for 40 days before being handed over for the final inauguration ceremony. This year para-sports have registered phenomenal participation and they are staged concurrently with the regular sporting events. A 215- strong Indian contingent for CWG will be led by Vijay Kumar Olympic Silver Medallist. India aims to seek a top three finish after its unprecedented medal haul in 2010. Unfortunately, team India may not be able to repeat a 2010 magic as Archery, Tennis were scrapped and medal events in shooting and Wrestling events  were reduced in Glasgow games.

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Business Proposition in shifting IPL7 to UAE

Match fixing allegations has taken away sheen off the IPL (Indian Premier League) that was riding high on people’s frenzy for cricket. Once considered a gentlemen’s game, cricket no longer invoke such credentials. Neither the players nor the owners of the various franchises hence forth are regarded as promoters of game. The IPL is now an organised business strategy and an entertainment contrivance to enthral cricket fanatics’ world over. Especially the inconsistencies of team performances leave us astonished. It is incredible how a team posting an extremely unrealistic high runs on score board on one day gets dismissed at bizarrely low score the next day. May be the unpredictability is main cache attracting some while others simply thrash it for its incongruence.

The initial few seasons of IPL were a big hit as the broadcasting services and media made huge money but slowly the interest had waned. These matches used to make a big dent on viewership of other channels as well. With the result, other channels were even forced to reschedule their entertainment programmes during the prime time on match days.  But with attested evidence of involvement of bigwigs and players in the match fixing cases in the IPL 6 people developed an indifferent attitude towards the IPL as such. It has kind of lost its credibility. This year the palpable frenzy is missing due to allegations of spot fixing, money laundering, betting and termination of franchises.

IPL started in 2008 is touted for its biggest commercial success. It is held annually during the months of April to June in India. When IPL-2 in 2009 clashed with the general elections the match venues were shifted to South Africa. This year again IPL extravaganza had to  be moved out of India, as the Union home minister expressed his inability to provide security for the matches as it clashed with election dates. There were several places on cards- South Africa, Bangladesh, UAE and Sri Lanka as favoured venues. But then it was decided that IPL would be conducted jointly in India and UAE with the first spell of 20 matches from April 16^th to 30^th  to be played in UAE at three different venues- Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi each having seating capacity of around 25 thousands. The second spell would be played in India from May 2^nd to June 1^st except in May 16^th which is the counting day. The crucial decision of selecting the venues had lot of business implications for the cash rich IPL body.

A number of issues have been taken into consideration to ferret out best returns in business. But the first question is why did South Africa fail to garner sufficient support to pull IPL to its turf when it has successfully conducted IPL 2? Unconfirmed reports indicate that Cricket South African has demanded Rs 150 Crores to host the event while UAE obliged to host it for Rs 60 Crores. Besides the money aspect, weather conditions and the time zone are different. A difference in timings might definitely hit the viewership hence the option was discarded.

But by choosing UAE, IPL has enhanced its prospects of making more business. UAE falls in similar time zone and the weather conditions during this part of year are almost same. The atmosphere and pitches would be similar leaving little scope for franchises to complain.  While it is known fact that UAE has the highest population of Indians abroad, hence IPL can milk the cricket crazy Indian expats. Its treasuries will be guaranteed a steady inflow of revenue too. By stretching itself to UAE it has increased its propensity of finding more sponsors for the event. As evident from the crowds from the completely packed stands in all of the matches, IPL seems to have stuck gold. The response of the crowd is amazing and the entertainment hasn’t sizzled out unlike in South Africa where most of the stands were empty. Further since UAE isn’t much far from India, fans can attend the matches and watch their favourite teams in action.

No wonder with interest in IPL ebbing in India, organisers should seek greener pastures to keep both its commercial promise and charisma alive. Indians who have become globe trotters in recent times are known to be movie buffs and cricket freaks. Enthused by a positive response for IPL7 in UAE it may not be preposterous to expect future editions of IPL on foreign soil. India International Film Festivals so far have been patronised by Indian movie lovers settled abroad. It shouldn’t be startling if IPL organisers too take the same route.....

 

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The World Cup Football 2014 @ Brazil: Protests Galore

 

Brazil, the largest Lusophone nation, venue for two world’s biggest extravaganza, FIFA Cup in 2014 and Summer Olympics in 2016 is set to rule the sports roster for the next two years. With the FIFA cup due in less than 2 months, there has been a surge in enthusiasm about the world football festival. The beach country Brazil is undoubtedly the most favoured place on earth this June. Brazil is popular on the world map for the fun, frolic, samba dance, beautiful women and above all football which is its heart and soul. The unprecedented celebrations will kick starts in Sao Paulo when Brazil takes on Croatia on June 12^th. 

 

When Brazil won the bid for conducting Olympics and World cup, the historical decision of shifting the mega sporting events to an emerging nation has been lauded internationally.  But the ground situation in the country suggests otherwise. Brazil has been going through a trail of inglorious melancholy for more than one year due to pitched protests. Much to the chagrin of Brazilians who complain of massive corruption, poor infrastructure and sub standard education, the venues are not ready for the World Cup. Last year as a rehearsal for the World Cup when Confederation Cup was held in Brazil, the event was meted out with protests and military had to be called to take stock of the situation. Insiders say that the situation would be no different for the main event as agitators are planning 64 protests targeting the 64 games scheduled as a part of World Cup.

People have become restive as the problems have been compounded ever since Brazil won the bid for Olympics. Fares of public transport have been hiked, favelas (slums) dwellers were evicted and almost $22.8 billion invested for building various facilities and necessary infrastructure for the games across 12 different cities in Brazil. Government planned for ambitious infrastructure and stadia as found it as right time for developing the country. But these mega events have divided the country into two: the one whose lives were hard hit by the corruption and burgeoning dislocations and the other half comprising the upper middle class and rich smitten by the excitement of the world cup and stung by the joyous fervour of football. Country is currently battling between the passions of the football aficionados who are optimistic about the world cup and the displaced favela dwellers, protesting about unmet public demand representing the grievous state of affairs.

In the wake of these raging tensions, a cross section of people believes that football will be the greatest equaliser. In no other part of world can a game of football evoke so much emotion, energy and solidarity as in Brazil. The real magic lies in their national anthem that drives crowds delirious. It can fuel the stadium with enthrallment and thus compatible with both patriotism and protests as well. Even people are heavily relying on the performance of national football team to do the miracle for the country.

After winning the bid for both World cup and Olympics government had  an ambitious $ 400 billion worth plan of overhauling the country infrastructure that includes airports, road and rail transportation. People were overwhelmed as they expected that infrastructure, roads, hospitals and other allied services would also improve. But nearly 25% of those projects stand cancelled, delayed or reduced in scope. Several promises like bullet train linking Rio and Sao Paulo aren’t realised even now. People are vexed of broken and false promises. Instead all the 12 stadia for the world cup are beautifully decked up without any lateral development in the infrastructure. These stadia are like white elephants and after the World cup and games they could no longer use them. Further the grievous water crisis is making things much worse. Government has started rationing water to people. Regular supply of water has been drastically cut for domestic purposes. With reservoirs hitting their lowest ever storage capacity, organisers are having real tough time.

The burden of investments made for renovation and construction to install the state of art facilities within stadia is felt by common man as prices have escalated tremendously. For most of them watching football match is a cultural thing. But with a hike in ticket prices majority are denied them of this pleasure too. Moreover, some of the oldest favelas with rich historical and monumental values are going to be decimated and hence dwellers are strictly opposing any of those moves. World Cup organisers are quick to dismiss this news but till now 65,000 people have lost their homes. Due to the aggressive interventions of police during the evacuation processes, drug gangs started gaining more momentum and cities have become less safe.

About 3.3million tickets for World Cup are up for sale and so far 2.5 million tickets have been sold.  Due to the controversies of slow pace of stadium renovation and construction 50 thousand free tickets are marked for the workers for all first-round matches except the opening game. Even now the preparations for the world cup are far from complete; there are concerns among the officials about players’ dissatisfaction regarding the arrangements. This world cup unlike others has a great deal of compelling results to offer both on and off the field. If Brazil succeeds in organising both the mega events with aplomb, it will go down the history as the first ever South American country to do so. Further it would promote the idea that developing countries too can excel organising world class events, hallmarks of developed nations. The games are going to be another big challenge as the country will experience a major change in leadership with presidential elections due for Oct 2014.  Hope the 30 days of World football fest in Brazil would leave an illustrious footprint in the sporting history. The controversies looming the World Cup seem to be never ending as even the logo has been ridiculed on twitter for looking like face palm.

 

 

 

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Winter Olympics @ Sochi- A Perspective

Unlike the summer Olympics which takes the world by its exuberance and the galore of entertainment, winter Olympics is a subdued event. Even the sporting events are three times less than the summer Olympics. But this doesn’t take away the sheen from these sporting events which have tremendous support and viewership across the world. The ongoing winter Olympics at Sochi is the twenty second edition of games. These are conducted at a span of four years in alternating even-numbered years so that it doesn’t clash with the summer Olympics.

Winter Olympics 2014 are held for the first time in Russia after the breakup of USSR. Moscow was the venue for the summer games in 1980. Sochi Olympics have hit the headlines for various reasons- ranging from the surplus budgetary costs of $51 billion far exceeding the estimated $12 billion surpassing the Beijing Olympics of 2008 which is the most expensive with total cost of $44 billion so far.  It is also mired with excess cost over run, safety concerns over the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) athletes due to Russia’s anti-LGBT policies; protests by the ethnic Circassian activists as some of the Olympic facilities were built over the graves of the Circassians who were killed during genocide by the Russian military in 1860; protests by the environmentalists regarding the displacement and rehabilitation of the people displaced for making way for the venues, over exploitation of the construction workers and illegal dumping of the construction waste threatening the health of the residents and the habitats of the migratory birds.  Even a suicidal bomb attack before a train station in Russia 40 days before the games also have raised the concerns about the safe conduct of games. Just few days before the opening ceremony, countries were very sceptical about sending their employees to the games fearing cyber spying and theft of intellectual property. Travel advisory has been issued to sports enthusiasts, business men, tourists against use of public internet connection/ airport wi-fi as they are the hot spots for the internet hawkers.

Amidst of raging controversies, Winter Olympics were declared open in a glistening ceremony. The over arching demonstrations failed to dampen the spirit of the sportsmanship and fanfare of the sport enthusiasts. Sochi winter games hosts 98 events in 7 different sports and participants from 88 countries have represented their country in this sporting fest. Winter sports are amazingly different wherein athletes and organisers constantly strive to bring in new sophistications into the game to make it more challenging and endearing.

Winter Olympics are unique as they test not only the extensive athletic training but also the underlying scientific technology that improve their performance and speed. Some of the records created are astounding as they defy the laws of nature. Many well trained athletes delivered brilliant performance by donning scientifically designed equipment. Hence engineering and athletic training go hand in hand for exceptional maneurving in winter games. A careful analysis of each of the sporting events would point out to scientific implications of the laws of physics that contribute to the dazzling performance.  For example- high speeds skating across the sides of the half pipe coupled with change of direction resulted in developing the centripetal acceleration which gives the athlete more air time to execute double flips and rotation. Further advances in engineering were employed to optimise the dimensions of the half pipe to enhance the performance of the athlete. Apart from the super training, immense talent and laws of physics nearly every sporting event have relied on the latest technological advancements for pushing athletic skills to the maximum.

The biological superiority of certain people coupled with lower weight of athletes seems to have bearing on the final execution of their skills. Events like cross country skiing are conducted on manicured slopes located a relatively higher elevation. But as the altitude increases, atmospheric oxygen levels fall hence athletes participating in this event should have an enormous capacity to transport oxygen to muscles. Medal winners in this event are found to harbour a genetic mutation which stimulates the manufacture red blood cells. More the number of red blood cells, higher will be oxygen supply to the muscles hence better the performance. Similarly in ski-jumping women who are lighter outperform men as being 1 kg lighter add to 2m to 4m jump distance. Thus being lighter would turn out to be greatest advantage for women. Scandinavian people were found be more genetically suitable for these kind of sporting events. Norway with a very scant population has the distinction of having most Olympic medals in Winter games.

A study revealed that overall injury rate for both summer and winter Olympics stood at 11% but injuries are most acute and severe in winter Olympics. Hence special emphasis has been laid on scientifically developing safety equipment to mitigate the extent of damage. Of all the events, skeleton racing is most dangerous. Person simply lodges onto the bobsled with head first and races at a speed of 80 mph. Losing control can lead to death or severe injuries. Hence engineers are now designing sleds with built-in adjustable frame and helmets that absorb more gravitational pull to minimise the impact of injury. Safety has become issue of major concern ever since Michael Schumacher and German Vice Chancellor Angela Merkel got injured during skiing.

Organisers of winter Olympics have the huge task of maintaining a good coverage of snow on the slopes for skiing events. Last edition of winter games at Vancouver had a poor show in these events a uniform snow cover was absent on the slopes. To avoid such embarrassing situation a Finnish firm Snow Secure was hired to have snow cover on higher altitudes. Artificial snow was generated by blasting atomised water into the air when it is coldest. 

Further special suits are designed for skating and skiing which not only keeps the athletes warm but also reduces the drag. Since Sochi is nearer to Black Sea, athletes have to lung past air which is heavier, thicker and humid.  Suits which are textured as the shark skin were developed by researchers in US which also reduced the drag by 17%. Zippers and seams are positioned in a calculated way to minimise the drag. In US customised wind tunnels are built for training ski-jumping in US. In various skating events like ice hockey, long distance skating, short distance speed skating, figure skating etc, interesting variations in the skate blades and shoes are made to maximise the speed, agility, gliding and chasing to give an edge to the athlete. The culmination of advances in engineering, diligence, scientific designing and intensive training of athlete would result in carving an ideal winter Olympian.

While London won accolades for it sustainability efforts, Russia have been under fire from environmentalists for tweaking the conservation laws for games related construction. Recent episodes of the climatic aberration- Arctic Vortexing experienced by the US at the beginning of the year and massive floods in UK are fall out of global warming. Further depleting snow cover in several parts of the Northern Hemisphere raises serious doubts about the future of the winter games. It is predicted that only 6 out of the 19 cities that hosted winter games will remain cold enough in 2100 to do so again.

 

 

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The race is on, can India sustain????????

Vroom......vroom!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Buddh International Circuit (BIC) at the Gautam Buddh Nagar in Greater Noida is going to be abuzz with activity this weekend. The 5.14 km long race track which has 16 turns and is spread over a sprawling 875 acres land has a seating capacity of nearly 100,000. Yes, the Formula 1 race is back in Indian sub-continent on 25-27 October 2013, and perhaps for the last time. Two years back the track was first inaugurated amid fanfare by the Indian Formula 1 champion Narayan Kartikeyan when he warmed up the track with great enthusiasm igniting the aspirations of lakhs of F1 fans in India to watch a race live on the track. The track had also received accolades for its international standards and engineering marvels, and elevated India to a high profile status in the motor sport world. But now the glory seems to be short lived as rumours are high and dry this weekend may witness the last race.

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that F1 had a five year deal with the Jaypee Group and wanted the race to be held in the first half of the year, whereas Jaypee insisted the race to be conducted in the month of October. Although the Group had its way in the first two years, with newer circuits appearing in the calendar and F1 teams reluctant for more races, the Jaypee Group is expected to conduct the race in March 2014. This obviously is difficult for the Jaypee Group to conduct a race in October 2013 and March 2014 again, with the race not in 2014 calendar now. Further the Jaypee group has to shell out $40 million (237.7 crores) for every race towards Buddh International Circuit as licensing fee to the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

 

If the gossip in F1 circles is to be believed, Bernie Ecclestone, who has been controlling the F1 for 40 years, is not happy with taxation policy and the red tape in India as hard lobbying is needed to reinstate the track for the sporting event in the year 2015 calendar. But owing to the economic slump the chances for further persuasions by the F1 lobbies appears to be bleak. Moreover, with two more tracks going to add up to the existing races in the forth coming calendar year- the Black Sea resort of Sochi in Russia and a Grand Prix in New Jersey, US. Austria is too pitching to make a comeback after 11 year break. Since the sport if expanding it base and gaining popularity from new corners, India has to be alert to stay put in the highly competitive event card. On the other hand, owing to the enormous potential of Indian fan base, F1 organisers can also not afford to discontinue the races in India An understanding the sport and the engineering involved indicate why the sport is so exciting.

Formula 1 is the highest class of single seated auto racing sanctioned by the FIA. A typical F1 season includes different races in a calendar year, called Grands Prix meaning great prizes in French and is conducted on specially engineered circuits and public roads across different countries. The race drivers, constructor’s team, track officials, organisers and circuit should be holders of valid Super licences issued by the FIA. No doubt it is one of the most glamorous sports.

Success in Formula 1 unlike other sports is not absolutely dependent on the tenacity and the sportsmanship of the driver. It is a marquee sport and the long term standing depends on tactfully designing the car based on latest technological advances by the team, adhering to FIA regulations and the adroitness of the driver. Hence both of them are felicitated for every victory. The world championship every year is awarded based on the points procured in each of the races conducted in the year. Points are awarded at the end of the race as per the order of finishing the race with the winner receiving 25 points and the Constructor team receiving a sum of points scored by the team drivers. These points then get cumulatively added after every race both for the drivers and constructors.

F1 cars are the fastest multi-turn circuit-racing cars in the world capable of reaching speeds of 350 kmph and capable of lateral acceleration of 5g.  The front wings of F1 cars are uniquely designed to generate large amounts of downforce which allows the car to travel faster through a corner. The overall performance of the car is dependent on the aerodynamics, suspension and tyres, all of which have undergone a radical change through the course of the history of the sport.  All teams in F1 pump in several millions of dollars into the research and development in improving the aerodynamics of car. Recent innovations like KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and DRS (Drag Reduction System) are incorporated to enhance driver’s skills especially while overtaking. The angle of rear wing flap of car is altered, reducing the drag and increasing the speed in the designated DRS activation zone/s.

Formula 1 is a classical example of precise man-machine teamwork. It is coordinated magic between science and the human power. Introduction of pit stops during race in 1994 has changed the tactical strategies of the game. The strategies are worked out to exploit the variations of different circuits to maximum advantage. In addition to the use of different tyres, variable pit stops other variables like the weather forecast, length and number of pit stops, likelihood of overtaking on certain circuits and possibility of accidents all these determine the final outcome of the race. To top it all the incredible skill of the driver in overtaking sometimes changes the final result.

Logistics

Apart from the racing aspect of it, there are enormous set of logistics to be worked out. For races within Europe, the cars along with their telemetry devices are transported in large carriers by road. This becomes complicated as the race tracks are expanding to different continents. The task of transporting all the cars, equipment and other components is gigantic and is done through specially designed cargo crates to facilitate the transport on cargo planes chartered by the Formula One Management (FOM). These planes fly from London or Munich. Most people jokingly describe the whole process as similar to medium sized military campaign.

 

Pitstops

An important strategy of the race which makes all the difference is the pit stops. Pit stops are guided by ‘lollipop’ man; named after its resemblance to the shape. Though the Formula 1 driver receives great attention, coordinated efforts of a team of mechanics working with millimetre- precision and alacrity play a significant role in the exemplary race finish. Often the acts of changing the tyres, damaged parts and adjusting the wings, nose of the cars are so intricately choreographed to march towards the podium finish. Usually these pit stops are completed in less than three seconds which speaks of skills of the mechanics.

Tyres

Yet another indispensible interacting variable between the car and track are the tyres. It is believed that performance of the tyres improves with higher temperatures, as high temperatures can make them stickier. The quality of the rubber used in tyres is decided by the characteristics of race track. Because of the higher speeds clocked by the F1 cars, durability is much less. They last for only 120km against the regular road tyres which can last for 16000km. The composition of sulphur, oil and carbon are varied in the tyres to have six different varieties. Like the super soft, soft, medium, hard and two types of wet tyres. Formula one race faces an important challenge when it comes to racing during wet conditions. The wet tyres are designed to dispel 60 litres of water per second referred to as aqua planning. The tread patterns are mathematically designed to scrub off maximum water between the tyre track interfaces. Tyres are filled with special nitrogen-rich air mixture to withstand the extreme variations in pressures. Fuel used is the ordinary gasoline but tightly controlled mixture, consumption is 75 litres for 100 kilometres travelled.  The game seems to constantly evolving as new rules are in place every year to ensure maximum safety to the driver. The heart of the racing is race controls which is responsible for monitoring and supervising all the stages of practice, qualifying and final race events.

 

 

Teams

Currently there are eleven racing teams with each team sporting two drivers. So, a total of 22 professional drivers compete when the five red lights illuminate on the gantry marking the start of the race session. Championship entry fee is USD 500,000 plus USD 5000 per each point scored. Engines are supplied by suppliers such as Cosworth, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault. Formula one has tremendous potential of job creation and has a gross economic effect as billions of dollars are spent every year in research and development, up gradation of the engines and in several allied activities. Its burgeoning popularity worldwide has created wider scope for merchandising its products. Further the growing craze about this sport has spurred sponsor investments. It has turned into a lucrative business due to the increased viewership and the television networks are making swift business. The exhilarating and hair-raising experience when the fastest cars are skilfully clinching the narrow serpentine spaces driving diligently to avoid crashes to catch the corner spots marks the beginning of the exciting Formula 1 race.

Indian Grand Prix has the potential of generating $170 million and can employ 10,000 people. The first edition of the race witnessed was attended by 90,000 sports enthusiasts but the second edition has registered mere 75,000. So far the third edition could garner mere 20,000 F1 fans but will improve as the race day nears; economic slump might be attributed for the poor opening. The enthusiasm generated by the advent of Formula 1 in India from the first race appears to have fizzled out very fast. May be alternative promotion plans must be seriously envisaged for popularising the game among Indian public for who cricket is still affordable.

 

 

 

 

 

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Nobel Prizes 2013

 

Nobel prizes are awarded to persons of highest achievement in particular field. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish scientist, engineer, inventor, business man, poet, dramatist and weapons manufacturer. He developed dynamite and invented a detonator which drastically reduced the cost of mining, blasting rocks, building tunnels and building canals. By the time of his death in 1896 he had 355 patents. Due to his entrepreneurial acumen, he founded 90 industries spread in over 20 counties and accumulated lot of wealth. As per will of Alfred Nobel, the interest on the huge capital invested in safe securities was to be distributed into five equal halves and shall be used to award prizes annually. The prizes are awarded to a discovery or an invention in the field of physics, chemical sciences, physiology or medicine; to a work in the field of literature working towards an ideal; to a person who has made outstanding contributions in promoting the fraternity between nations, reducing the standing armies and contributing to the peace and progress of nations. Following these directions, annually five prizes are awarded. The prizes for Physics and Chemistry are awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, for physiology or medicine by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Norwegian Storting nominates the award for peace prize.

Though Nobel Prize for economics has not been instituted under Alfred Nobel’s will, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in the memory of Alfred Nobel is awarded every year for outstanding contributions in economics. It is more often referred to as “Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics”. The nomination, selection, awarding and announcement of prizes are similar to the Nobel Prize.  Awardees are selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is a non-Nobel Prize associated officially with the Nobel Foundation. It was first awarded in the year 1969. Following the eruption of controversies after the release of book “A beautiful Mind” written by Slyvia Nasar pertaining to awarding of Nobel Prize in Economics to John Forbes Nash in 1994, prize was redefined as prize in social sciences. Hence there is an ample opportunity for people working tin fields of psychology, political science and sociology to vie for the prize with their land mark contribution in those fields. Meanwhile the composition of the Economics Prize Committee has thus been changed to accommodate two non-economists. There are instances where non-economists like Herbert A Simson, a PhD in political Science won Nobel Prize in economics. The nominations for the prizes are strictly by invitations. The information about nomination process is not disclosed till 50 years later as per the statutes of the Nobel Foundation.

India has distinction of being the birth place for 11 Nobel Laureates. All the Nobel Prizes have been announced. The Nobel Prize for Physics could be easily guessed as the landmark discovery of the God particle or the Higgs-Boson particle has made headlines in the preceding year. There has been a great excitement regarding the peace prize as for the first time a 16 year old girl has been nominated for the prize and conferring her with the prize would have been a history. Since the average age of the Nobel Prize winners is 59 and the youngest Lawrence Bragg, aged 25 bagged the prize. While 90 is the age of oldest winner Leonid Hurwicz, received Nobel Memorial prize for economics and 49 laureates were younger than 40. Le Duc Tho a Vietnam politician awarded a Nobel Peace Prize along Henry Kissinger for their role in negotiating Vietnam peace accord declined the prize. Prize amount is 8 million Swedish Kroner (SEK) or 1.2 million USD. Till 2012 Nobel Prize was awarded to 835 individuals and 21 organisations.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute has awarded Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine jointly to James E Rothman Yale University, Randy W. Schekman, University of California Berkeley and Thomas C Sudof Stanford University for solving the mystery of how cell organises its transport system. They have discovered the principles that govern the transport of cargo to the right place at the right time in the cell. The molecules or cargo is transported around the cell in small packaged called vesicles. Randy Schekman discovered the set of genes responsible for vesicular traffic. James Rothman unravelled the protein machinery that allows vesicular fusion and subsequent release of cargo at the right target. Thomas Sudof revealed the processes involved in vesicular signalling that guides the vesicles to release their cargo accurately. Any minor aberration or discrepancy in any of these mechanisms would have deleterious effects resulting in neurological disorders, diabetes and immunological disorders.

Nobel Prize in Physics was jointly was to Francois Englert , Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels and Peter W Higgs, University of Edinburg. In 1964 each of them along with Englert’s colleague Robert Brout, now deceased have independently postulated a theory of how particles acquire mass. These ideas were confirmed by the illustrious experiment carried on Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN laboratory outside Geneva, with the discovery of the Higgs particle. LHC is perhaps the largest and the most complex instrument built by humans so far. Two research groups comprising 3000 scientists managed to extract Higgs particle from billions of collisions within the LHC.

The Royal Swedish Academy has conferred the Nobel Prize in Chemical Sciences 2013 jointly to Martin Karplus, University of Strasbourg, France and Harvard University Cambridge, MA; Michael Levitt, Stanford University, Arieh Warshel, University of Southern California. These have spearheaded computer modelling to understand and predict complex chemical processes. Earlier chemists used to create models of molecules using ball and stick. The trio have managed to make Newton’s Classical physics work to work side by side with fundamentally different quantum physics. The combination of classical and quantum physics is used to make simulations which are realistic and are capable to predicting the outcome of traditional chemical experiments.

Canadian author 82 year old Alice Munro was awarded Nobel Prize for literature for her mastery in contemporary short story writing. She has published several short stories over the years. She is widely acclaimed for her fine tuned style of story- telling characterised by psychological realism and clarity. She is considered as Canadian Chekov. Her stories are set in small town back ground and basically revolve struggle, social acceptance often resulting strained relationships and moral conflicts. They also deal about the generation gap and colliding life ambitions. She is the 13^th woman and 17^th Canadian to receive the award. She was also winner of Man Booker International Prize in 2009.

Organization for the prohibition of Chemical weapons (OPCW) was awarded Nobel Peace prize 2013.It was founded in 1997.Tha Hague based autonomous body works within the frame work of UN. It is awarded the prize for its extensive efforts to eliminate of chemical weapons. It promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention. It has played a crucial role in the recent Syrian war and has been deftly handling the destruction of stock piles of chemical weapons in Syria. It has received massive acclaim for its technical expertise and the unstinted courage displayed by its team for working in the most dangerous war incriminating zones. Disarmament figured prominently in Alfred Nobel’s will, Norwegian Nobel Committee is seeking to contribute to elimination of chemical weapons by awarding the organization.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 25 times to organisation between 1901 and 2013. 22 individual organisations have been awarded, UNHCR and the office of United Nations High Commissioner for refugees received the award twice and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was honoured thrice.

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences for the year 2013 in memory of Alfred Nobel is shared jointly by Eugene F Fama, University of Chicago; Lars Peter Hansen, University of Chicago and Robert Shiller, Yale University for their empirical analysis of assets prices. . In general there is no way to predict the prices of stocks and bonds over few days or weeks. But it is possible to forecast the prices of the stocks over a broad period. These two statements are quite startling and contradictory. The Nobel laureates have laid foundation for understanding asset prices which are subject to rapid fluctuations. Their analyses rely on the fluctuations, risk and risk attitudes, and partly on behavioural biases and market frictions. The behaviour of the asset prices is the key to the savings, buying of assets and finally plays a pivotal role in the national economic policy. Long term assessment of prices has attained utmost prominence following the collapse of US housing market bubble which led the financial meltdown. So far Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics has been awarded 45 times to 74 laureates.

 

 

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Age is just a number: Fabulous @40

 

People can defy age and achieve the unachievable by sheer determination and perseverance. At the age of forty when people start worrying about midlife crisis, Indian Tennis star Leander Paes has created history by becoming the oldest player ever to win a grand slam by clinching the US Open Men’s Double Title. Winning a grand slam is no mean task especially at a time when the game of tennis is dominated by absolute muscle strength and powerful service games. Moreover to excel in any sport, both physical and mental fitness play a significant role. This implies that a player must be both physically fit and mentally assertive and motivated. Success allures man, but ultimately it accedes to realm of a talented individual. Usually we find successful sportsman whose most fruitful period lasts for 2-6 years or at the maximum 10 years. But to sustain in the field for more than decades the person have consistency, great perseverance and discipline. Longevity is not guaranteed in this field and to perform steadily individual has to work extremely hard.

Leander Paes won 14 grand slams which include 8 doubles and 6 mixed doubles titles. He has several distinctions to his credit. He represented India for the past 20years (1992-2012) in Olympics which in itself speak of his ability and agility on the court. After Rod Laver Paes has the unique distinction of holding Wimbledon trophy in three different decades. He has played 30 slam finals over a period of 21-22years. It is the longevity which is quite impressive rather than the number of victories/titles over his career span. He won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 Atlanta, first individual medal won by any Indian after a span of more than four decades last was in 1952 Helsinki games. He started his tennis career by winning the prestigious junior Wimbledon &US Open title in 1990. He slowly rose to no 1 in juniors’ category. His stint as a tennis player in singles wasn’t promising. He soon shifted his focus to doubles and started earning all the laurels he is destined for. After teaming up with Mahesh Bhupathi for doubles, they had a dream run and even reached the no 1 spot in doubles.  Together they clinched several titles including Wimbledon and French Open and had highest rate of success as partners. He was recipient of highest sports award Rajiv Khel Ratna 1996-97, Arjuna Award 1990 and Padma Sri 2001. Having played for more than 2 decades he has become a seasoned player, he is best known for his drop shots and volleys. His greatest strengths are the unique strategies and magical net play. He is known to have a strange playing style. He has partnered with record number of 94 players in doubles and 22 players for mixed doubles titles. He is known for changing partners and experimenting with them.

Apart from ATP series, he is an active player in one of the franchises, Washington Kastles in the World Team Tennis. This team has been most successful and claimed the WTT championship four times. Paes was named as the Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2011. Recently this team has been invited by President Barrack Obama, for a special dinner at White House.

Sometimes it is all about the hard work and effort we put in a work that matters.  No matter the rewards, keep working seems to be basic punch line of Leander’s life. Next on his agenda is representing India in the Rio Olympics 2016 for the record 7^th time at the age of 43. What an incredible feat it would be in life????? Hard work, resolve and conviction seem to be the mantra for a prolonged innings....

 

 

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Why Soccer Needs India !!!!

With the new phrase of EPL (English Premier League)“ halla bol” becoming a massive hit among youngsters there is a sudden and new found love for the largest sporting event. Since the new ad has been hitting the sports channels more frequently, the essence of the message seems to have percolated down. Yes the EPL fever is now set to grip the Indian youth. Even school going kids who do not have a clue about the Premier League are vouching their allegiance to some club several thousand miles away, just because their favourite colour matches the jersey of a particular club. Even shops selling the customised merchandise of the English Premier Clubs are becoming popular in metros. Yes, the soccer fever and the love for the game are meandering over the Indian peninsula. This makes perfect sense for the game too, at the least from the business angle.

Though India is known for its frantic love for the game of Cricket, slowly people are moving towards other sports, and Soccer tops the list without any exception. Of major soccer leagues in the Europe, the EPL is slowly impinging the Indians sports channels with the ads popularising live matches, now with commentary in Hindi too. Apart from the EPL, live matches of other leagues such as La Liga (Spanish), the Seria A (Italian) and the Bundesliga (German) are shown on various sports channels in India. It clearly indicates their ability to garner the support of high end sponsors.

On the business front, the deadline for transfer of players, through selling, buying or loaning out has just finished on 2 September 2013. Real Madrid, the Spanish Giants in this history of Soccer, bought Gareth Bale, the 24 year-Welsh player from the English football club Tottenham Hotspurs for a whopping 100 million Euros (around Rs.700 Crores). This event has caught the attention of both the media and fans for the sizable amount of money, more so, when Spain is currently reeling under global economic crisis. While most Soccer plaudits feel, the amount at this point of time to be outrageous. Viewing it from the business side, it makes perfect sense for the Club and its sponsors. This transfer has also some financial implications as most Soccer clubs are outliving their incomes. Special treatment offered by the Spanish revenue system and the neglect of the governing bodies together resulted in debt-ridden Spanish football clubs.

It might be interesting at this juncture to learn about the scale of the commercial activity carried out by the Soccer clubs. With the business ambitions of the clubs taking an upper hand, several critics feel that the present trend doesn’t improve the sporting values and they even fail to add community spirit to it. In fact major sports have gradually transformed into one dominating entertainment industry. With the satellite channels vying for the exclusive rights for the coverage and broadcast, this industry has become lucrative too. The new found pay channels are minting money at the behest of ardent fans. It is more intriguing to know that players are treated as investments and clubs are openly splurging money to acquire the best talent. This has developed into a big market, where players are mere products rather than sportsmen where a bunch of people are trying to get commission over their sale. As more agreements worth $8.5 billion are stuck with various television networks the revenues of clubs are raising. Further a huge influx of owners from Russia and Middle East has resulted in seven folds increase in spending by these clubs. As the player joins the new club, even his sponsors become party to the club.

Football clubs across the globe are exploring ways to boost their depleting income. As a part of financial revamping, Real Madrid is planning to expand the existing capacity of the stadiums and focus on construction of lavish multi-layered seats and world class restaurants. Even it is not making the entire payment to the Spurs in a single go. It is following the strategy of settling the payment amount over the period of 6 years contract of Bale and agreed to pay 300,000 pounds per week towards his wages. Real is planning to recover the money through the sale of jerseys and commercial deals. Being the richest soccer club in the world, it is trying to build & enhance its brand image and make an emphatic statement about its scale and power. In the process, it is only obvious that it is making huge investments in terms of buying world class players and offering galactic wages. While most people question the logic of buying a player like Gareth Bale whose statistics and football prowess are not on par with other eclectics in the League like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. This unabashed urge of brand building by rich clubs might put smaller clubs at a disadvantage. Unlike the English Premier League, the Spanish LaLiga doesn’t have centralised selling of television rights where incomes are distributed proportionately. Spanish clubs sell their rights themselves. Thus the rich clubs again gain much from their popularity, global exposure and sponsorship deals. This kind of parity has widened the gap between the competing Spanish clubs.

To ensure level head playing, Union of European Football Association (UEFA) has formulated certain rules and arrived at agreement in 2009 to contain the financial dominance of clubs within a league. It has come up Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in an effort to curtail overspending by clubs in pursuit of success which on long run can be detrimental.  According to this, clubs are expected to spend within the set budget frame work. These rules have come into force from the year 2011-2012 and any deviation would result in imposing various penalties which include fines, withholding prize money; ban transfers etc and the ultimate penalty would be disqualification from the European League. As per the initial agreement, club is allowed to have losses to a tune of 45 million Euros over a cumulative period of three years and owners/shareholders should be able to furnish this deficit. There are nearly 54 European football associations under UEFA, and of them English and Spanish leagues are the most popular. The main aim of FFP’s is to reduce losses and make clubs more sustainable. FFP excludes the expenditure made towards infrastructure, youth development, community development and depreciation on tangible assets. These are some of the gaps clubs are trying to explore to evade the penalties from UEFA. Thus, the most exciting game of football has turned into a massive entertainment industry reaping commercial benefits and honing the skills of potent football players. Eventually these players represent their respective national teams as well during International matches and bring glory and acclaim to their mother lands even.

European football clubs obsessed with the dream run of image building have resorted to irrational spending and thus reeling under the burden of accumulated debts. Having realised the urgent need to overhaul their financial status has come up with a two pronged approach- viewership and sponsorship. They are now trying to popularise the game among the youngsters with the result there are several ads promoting the game through youth icons. Manchester United, has signed contract with its loyal fan M.S. Dhoni for a period of three years to act as its brand ambassador and trying to draw the popular support. In addition to it they are trying to woo people through commentaries in Hindi. Day is not far when Indians can watch football match with commentary in their regional languages and Rooney, Gerrard, Terry might become common household names as Tendulkar, Dhoni and Kohli. If EPL can catch Indian vein, sponsorships are bound to come and consequently their financial statement will naturally tilt towards surplus. European football clubs are trying to set up training centres in collaboration with various schools in metros. Thus they are invariably applying all the tricks of trade to win over the robust consumer market in India and China as well.

In India the genesis of IPL (Indian Premier League), HIL (Hockey Indian League) and the recently concluded IBL (Indian Badminton League) have emulated the English Premier League in the basic structure and functioning. With a vast viewership base available in India, it makes perfect sense for Indian businessmen and corporates to sponsor and reap huge commercial benefits. May this new craze for Soccer might succour the abysmal state of Indian sports and a new sporting phenomenon appears to emerge.

 

 

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