Media earned “Common Wealth” for India

Isn’t it an eye-opener for us that with all its ailments and second-rated arrangements, Common Wealth Games earned lots of “Common Wealth” for India? And this could only be possible through effective media whose professionalism can be questioned anywhere in the world but its patriotism is just matchless.

I am not sure if patriotism is all about highlighting good events and hiding the bad ones but I am sure that they really want to be known as one of the most civilized sports nation on the globe.

Just have a glance at the recent past; they had lots of cases of corruption, unsafe roads and tracks for cycling competition, dangerous and venomous snakes in the rooms of professional players, serious concerns of international community over the security of players and then allegations of not being fully prepared to have an event of international level which could hurt their efforts of conducting cricket world cup next year. Even under these unstructured arrangements, they managed to have a “successful” event which opened the doors of future world class events.

The opening ceremony of Common Wealth Games was just great. With live performance of superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, A.R.Rehman and lots other talented unsung heroes, it turned out to be an unforgettable opening. And same goes for the closing ceremony; everyone simply forgot what actually happened in-between. The complaining voices of professional sportsmen left unheard under the deafening voices of beautiful crackers. The visitors complained for worst security arrangements, bad management, lower class hotels, unprepared running tracks for athletes and uncivilized attitudes of spectators but still, they portrayed as if it went really well, exemplary rather. They have successfully done it and everyone believes it.

But what actually happened in Delhi can be read in any of the newspapers of any country or in any epaper.

Let me share the highlights of the story here;

On September 21 velonation.com reported, “This is another blow to the organizers of the Commonwealth Games. At least 27 labourers were injured due to the collapse of an under-constructed overbridge outside the Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The total cost to construct the bridge was more than $3 million.
 

A few days later, it was heard that Indian opposition wanted Parliament to probe failures at Commonwealth Games. The party demanded a parliamentary investigation into the Commonwealth Games, which were marred by allegations of corruption, construction delays and embarrassing cost overruns.  The party also demanded that the Games' ballooning costs be added to the list of things investigated. The budget for the competition skyrocketed to 700 billion rupees (C$16.1 billion) from the estimated 18.9 billion rupees (C$435.8 million). Local media have reported similar corruption, with millions of dollars allegedly pocketed by officials and cronies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ordered a probe into the delays and corruption allegations. Authorities will also looking into ticketing problems: Spectators said they were often surrounded by empty seats; despite ticket-sellers say all seats (900,000) had been sold. The Times of India reported that ticket sales brought in less than half the expected 1.1 billion rupees ($25.4 million). The inquiry committee, headed by V.K. Shunglu, a former auditor-general, will submit its findings within three months to the prime minister.

A Pakistan official said that $550 had been stolen from his room at the athletes’ village; reports of blocked toilets at the swimming venue; poor quality of food for volunteers; and airspace restrictions hindering television helicopters from covering the marathon and road cycling events. Concerns regarding security, outbreaks of dengue fever and, perhaps the most damaging, complaints about unfinished and filthy accommodations in the athletes’ village raised just days before teams were due to arrive. The swimming pool was originally thought to have caused a dozen or more cases of a stomach virus affecting mostly Australian and English swimmers. (nytimes.com)

A snake was found in a room of a South African athlete in the residential towers, High Commissioner Harris Mbulelo Mejeke told reporters.

"We can't go and stay till things are fixed up. We have very grave concerns. If snakes are found we can't ask our teams to stay there. That was a threat to the lives of our athletes. Very disappointing. Basically, the basement was full of water and the staircase was also damp. The snake found in one of the Athlete’s Village rooms is only one of the problems facing the participants, he said.

Hooper said “even the government agencies in India did not act in time and delayed the handing over of the venues. "We are at the hands and the mercy of, effectively, the Government of India, the agencies responsible for delivery of the venues. They consistently failed to meet deadlines".
A top Indian boxer was kept waiting for nearly four hours Saturday before being transported from the Games administration office to the athletes' village.  Akhil Kumar said he then wanted to rest, but his bed collapsed when he sat on it.”

This is the feedback of the participants of Common Wealth Games but not surprisingly, Indian officials and Indian media supported their people and helped them in conducting a world class event. An opening and closing ceremony with long-lasting impression and the world class artists changed the whole image and registered it as one of the most memorable events of sports history.

I have been thinking of having the same events in Pakistan and visualizing how Pakistani media would have responded to such circumstances, had any of the above mentioned issues been faced by the officials of Pakistan. The situation would have been worst and unmanageable. Most of the teams would have flown back. The event could have been declared as floppiest show of the history. International community, including India would have jumped in to save the world and punish Pakistan.

Do not go far away, just look at the case of spot fixing. Pakistani media ridiculed and cursed the players who were never found guilty. International media did nothing against the players but just followed our media. We cooked the best curry for them.

Pakistani media, unfortunately, never tried to back any sport in Pakistan. Not even the games like hockey and squash. The games we were world champions in and now we stand nowhere, at globe. They highlighted the issue in past but to ridicule, not to address them.
Media is the only medium to put a strong pressure on the officials who can resolve all the matters. Media knows that it is fourth pillar of the country but it never sported sports. And now it is the turn of Pakistan’s most famous game, cricket. Pakistani media is still unsure and unclear about its responsibility. It is the time to save cricket as saving cricket means saving games and keeping world’s most competitive nation in the playfield, giving best people to the world and the people whom the nation proud of.

I am afraid, if the media does not understand its responsibility and does not support sports sensibly, we will end up with having no one in any sport, not even Naseem and Aisaam.