A sports fete like the Commonwealth Games 2014 held at the largest Scottish city Glasgow failed to draw the attention of the media here it deserved. Why? One of the reasons understandable is that the games participated by former colonies and dominions under the British Empire came on the heel of the World Cup football, considered the toast of sports fans. True, the Commonwealth Games are a shade or two paler than the Olympics where the entire world is represented. But then in some of the disciplines of the Commonwealth, the world's best athletes do compete.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica, himself a participant in the men's 4x100 m sprint relay, made an oblique reference to the difference in standards but when he and his team mates do not have an easy sailing, the competition cannot be dismissed outright. His counterpart in the women's category Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce however failed to emulate her compatriot's feat in the 4x100 m women's relay. The Nigerian quartet emerged champions and this alone shows the high standard of this year's Commonwealth games.
In the Swimming pool, on the boxing and weight lifting floors, quite a few competitors could very well challenge the top contenders or even snatch the ultimate honours at the Olympic venues. Why the games were still ignored by the media is a mystery. Was it a surfeit of games and sports too much to be stomached after the WC football or the thought that the standards of the games left much to be desired? The excuse that it was the month of Ramadan will not be acceptable because football lovers had to fast and at the same time were glued to the TV screen till late hours at night.
Options were limited for watching the Commonwealth Games largely because the cable operators curtail the number of sports channels to the minimum. On several occasions, a notice came up on the screen for recharging to blank the sports events at Glasgow. This is clear enough that even channels like Ten Sports and Ten Action are not paid for by the cable operators. Apart from these two channels, Ten HD also showed live the Glasgow sports events but for about eight days there was no Ten Action let alone Ten HD. Then the Ten Sports had often the notice pasted on the screen. If these are not pay channels, the cable operators are ineligible to show those.
What is so intriguing is that India's tour of England was all the same covered -so was done the South Africa's tour of Sri Lanka - but when it synchronised with the World Cup football, hardly anyone took notice. Once the WC was over, cricket and other sports were given enough space either in newspapers or on electronic medium. But unfortunately the Glasgow Commonwealth Games were allowed to pass listlessly. Bangladesh had a lone success in the 10m air rifle shooting. Even this was not highlighted enough.
Yet competitions like this can provide for Bangladeshi athletes the proper stage to honing their skills and talents. Olympic medals are still at some distance for them yet. But it could be a different story if only the country nurtured its talents and the media lent its support. Abhinav Bindra, winner of the Beijing Olympic gold in the 10m air rifle, had a fairytale journey while Asif who beat the Indian in the Commonwealth Games previously faded out of the scene. Why? The answer to this question will bring to the fore the country's perfunctory approach to sports and games and a kind of superficial exuberance over those. Unrelenting endeavour and commitment to the cause can produce world-class athletes and sports men and women in this land.
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