Boria Majumdar in Paris
“I don’t know if I should say this to anyone” was how it began. Harvinder Singh, one of the nicest athletes I know and India’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony, was somewhat downcast when I met him at the Athletes Village. While everyone else was celebrating the 26th medal, he was standing quietly in a corner. “What happened?” I asked, and it seemed to me that he wanted to say something but couldn’t. “If you don’t want me to write it, I will not,” I assured him, and said he could tell me if that helped him unwind. It was as if Harvinder wanted a sounding board, someone who would listen to him.
“You can write it for sure,” he began. “You were there with us when I went in for my dope test after winning the gold medal. By the time I came out, it was nearly 10pm. We did the interview together, and thereafter, I went to the car that was parked right outside the athletes’ entrance to go back to the village. I had the medal around my neck and the mascot, which was given to me as prize, in my hand. I kept it on the dashboard of the car and mistakenly forgot about it. I was trying to answer some of the messages, and in doing so, got out of the car without taking the mascot with me. It was only after I reached my room in the village that I realised my mistake, and instantly told my coach about it. It was my gold medal-winning prize and was very special to me.”
‘These cars are all numbered, and are only meant for athletes,” I told him. “Every driver has an accreditation, and it is no big deal at all to trace the car and the driver.”
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It was as if he was waiting for someone to say this.
“Precisely,” replied Harvinder. “I went to the ‘lost and found’ the next morning and said to them that I had left my mascot in the car and they needed to see if they could find it for me. They could easily trace the car from the set of assigned cars for the archery venue, and help me. They said they weren’t allowed to check back on which cars were assigned because of privacy issues, and they wouldn’t be able to help. Honestly, Paaji, I found it very strange. It was my gold medal-winning prize and they just refused to help. It was disappointing.”
The question to ask here is simple. Would the organisers have done the same if a Frenchman had forgotten his mascot and asked for help? If he was a gold medallist, how would that go down with the local media and fans? Could they have rudely turned him down like they did with Harvinder? Are we allowed to read something else into this, or is this plain inefficiency?
“I felt so bad I went and bought a replica the next day, and will now carry that back home,” said Harvinder. “But I hope you realise it is not about a mascot. This one was special, because it was given to me with the gold medal. It was the best moment of my career and that’s what I tried explaining to them.”
Harvinder will not get his mascot back. And Paris, despite all its efforts, couldn’t stage the perfect Games. Somewhere, they let us all down. Maybe deliberately at times, for Harvinder isn’t from the developed West. Would it have happened with someone from France or Great Britain or the USA? Chances are the mascot would have reached his or her room within hours, leave alone the athlete having to buy a replica. Skin colour still matters, or so it seems.
Also Read: Harvinder highlights the collective, and downplays individual glory after mixed-medal miss