I couldn’t agree more with what Sharda Ugra has to say in this post. Since the start of these Olympics Games and indeed before, I’ve wondered why the Indian media is so trigger happy. It is cruel to say someone ‘crashed out’ of the games without saying when it happened. In these Games, such a headline would perhaps have been fair to Bhupati/Bopanna after all their hue and cry before the left for the UK. But for the other players, I feel it is essential to also take into account what they have gone through to reach the Olympics before declaring their exits as crashes.
Yes, the performances have been far from satisfactory. The hockey team finished at the bottom. The tennis stars couldn’t get home any medals and indeed, their entire campaign was about the bickering that preceded the actual Games. The wrestlers did promise, but as of writing this, only Yogeshwar Dutt has delivered on a medal promise. Saina Nehwal did deliver on her promise, but wasn’t the expected Gold. Still, without knowing what has held these athletes back, it’s unfair to ‘crash’ them out.
So far as I can tell, these headlines get rewritten on the desk after a reporter or wire service has submitted it. Those who use wire headlines are simply lazy and anyways deserve an earful! But, for those on the desk who are ‘crashing’ people out of the Games, it is worth asking what their success story has been thus far… if any. Especially on a global stage. After going through qualification stages.
This perhaps need some sensitizing in the newsroom.
