Author: Boria Majumdar

Predictions are a risky business. Especially when they are about sports and the Olympic or Paralympic Games. For the Olympics, we predicted 9-10 medals, and India ended up with 6. Having said that, predictions are also a favourite pastime with us analysts. With the Paralympic Games less than a week away, how is India shaping up for it? Will we use the Games to advance the narrative of equality and sensitivity in the country, and will there be a groundswell of support for the Paralympic movement? Can India turn a new leaf and significantly increase the number of medals that…

I have always said that sports and politics are inseparable. And football, more than any other sport, has always made for strong, peaceful protest with real ramifications for society. At the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, when Iran’s footballers stood in front of the world but did not sing the national anthem with billions watching, it was an act of silent resistance. Like what happened in Kolkata on Sunday, it has stayed on as a powerful image of peaceful protest, which was much talked about the world over. Again, when the Germans posed for a team photograph with hands…

Why was Mohun Bagan club formed in 1889? Why was East Bengal Club set up in 1920? What were the reasons? What was the context? In very simple terms, to protest against some form of discrimination and raise a voice. When Mohun Bagan played bare-footed against East Yorkshire regiment in 1911 and won the IFA shield, it was a form of protest against colonial rule. More importantly, the victory procession that walked around the city soon after and included thousands was seen as a form of assertion. Football was looked upon as a form of peaceful protest against the discriminatory…

Sports and politics mix. They always have, and always will. Anyone who says anything to the contrary is in fact making a political statement, and trying to deny the truth. Each time the national anthem is played on the sports field, it is a celebration of nationalism and a political act. Players with hands on their hearts singing the national anthem while standing on the medal podium seeing their national flag go up is the most celebrated sight in sport, and nothing could be a more potent symbol of aggressive nationalism. Tommy Smith and John Carlos standing on the podium…

“The moment it went to a shoot-off, I knew we were winning,” said Craig Fulton of India’s famous quarterfinal win with 10 men against Great Britain at Paris 2024. We had last met, briefly, ahead of the medal ceremony in Paris, and that was when it was decided that we would have a detailed conversation on the campaign once things settled down. With coach Fulton coming to India for the PM’s felicitation and more, it was tough to get him to sit down for a detailed chat. Finally, we managed to get time out once he reached Dublin and had…

It was in 2004 that Devendra Jhajharia travelled to his first Paralympic Games. Unlike in 2024, when the Prime Minister, Sports Minister, members of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and many more will give the Paralympics team traveling to Paris a fitting send-off (fixed for later today), one person accompanied Jhajharia to the airport back in 2004. That was his father. And as Devendra, current President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), very pertinently recounted, “My father said to me: if you win a medal toh badlao aayga. Agar har jate ho toh kuch nahi badlaega [if you…

Hope she reconsiders the retirement and decides to make a comeback and fight her demons. As we celebrate our 78th independence day, there is a kind of gloom this morning as followers of sport. With the Vinesh Phogat appeal dismissed, her last hope was dashed last night. While it was not a surprise, based on the events of the last few days a kind of hope had also been kindled. Vinesh, people close to her tell me, is devastated. “It is as if she is having to relive the 7th August morning again. She is in no position to speak…

It was a night like no other. And with the verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) now announced, it is perhaps time for everyone to know what actually transpired on the night of August 6, hours before Vinesh Phogat was to grapple in an Olympic final. What all did Vinesh try, and how did she and the Indian contingent in Paris go about things? What eventually led to her disqualification on the morning of August 7? To better understand the sequence of events, we actually need to start with Tokyo 2020. Vinesh was considered one of the…

First things first. The verdict is now expected on 16 August 6 pm Paris time. So the wait continues for us all and most for Vinesh. A lot has been said to me over the past few days on the Vinesh Phogat issue. Not everything can be written, and not everything is true either. Things get overhyped and it is essential that we filter information before we put it out in the public domain. One thing, however, is worth asking here: Was it all worth it? Should an athlete go through all that she did for that elusive medal? Is…

There have already been enough and more arguments on the Vinesh Phogat case. And as we expect the judgment to come today, here are the possible scenarios. First, I don’t expect this case to get done on Tuesday. If Vinesh is awarded the silver, United World Wrestling (UWW), in all probability, will appeal the decision. Similarly, if Vinesh isn’t given a favourable verdict, chances are that she too will appeal. Either way, this could continue for a few more weeks or months. Coming to the case itself, UWW has opposed Vinesh on the basis of rules. Time and again, its…