Thanks Lord Seb Coe

It was heartening to hear Lord Sebastian Coe, one of the world’s most respected athletes and now an administrator, speak online on  Sunday. As part of the annual general meeting of the Athletics Federation of India, Coe spoke of how he had himself gone to Tokyo to get a feel of the situation in Japan.

The bottom line or major takeaway from what Lord Coe said was the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will happen and there is a sense of urgency in what the stakeholders — the International Olympic Committee and the local organisers are planning.

To be sure, since the time the IOC President Thomas Bach has spoken emphatically about how Tokyo 2021 will take place next July, there is no doubt the assumption is the Summer Games will take place, come what may.

Agreed, Covid-19 is raging in some parts of the world and subsiding in countries like Taiwan. It is also well known the race to find vaccines for the Novel Corona virus is now at breakneck speed, with India also part of the game-changing process.

Lord Coe’s message, in a way,  should wake up the elite athletes in India, some of who are still loathe to train flat out. It is no secret the pampered lady grapplers like Vinesh Phogat are finding excuses to stay away from camps. The common man may think the “kushtee ladies” are strong but the  impression one gets is they are pretty scared of Covid-19.

Just sample this, sport in the world has resumed, mostly in a bio bubble. The point now is not “if” the Tokyo Olympics will take place. Yes it will is the hope and prayer. What happens from here till 2021 is anybody’s guess, though people like Coe, instrumental in London hosting the Olympics in 2012, knows what he is talking.

There is no shame in mentioning Indian athletes are very sceptical in more than one way despite being pampered and given the best facilities. What they need to do take inspiration from Lord Coes message and move on. Indian shooters, too, were guilty of not returning to the ranges and camps for far too long.

From football to Formula One and tennis to the IPL, sport is happening. Japan is a country which has worked wonders in many ways. How they plan the execution of the Olympics is not a worry. What we in India need to worry about is our own athletes still behaving like sissies. And I am saying this at the risk of facing criticism from any quarter.

One has to face Covid-19 head on and continue to slog, whatever be the field of play. When parks can witness resumption of sport, without fear, why cannot Lord Coe’s speech serve as the right stimulant for India’s top athletes?