Here's why all of India should join Sarita Devi's non co-operation movement

During the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Jesse Owens single-handedly crushed Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4x100 meter relay category. He did not do the Nazi salute on the podium. During the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, African-American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the black power salute on the podium and brought into focus the plight of African Americans. During the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow, two Russian athletes Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova kissed on the podium as a protest against the country’s new ‘anti-gay’ laws. [caption id=“attachment_1740277” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sarita Devi during the medal ceremony. Reuters[/caption] During the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Indian boxer Sarita Devi refused her bronze medal as a sign of protest against unfairness meted out towards her by the judges who awarded the bout to the ‘undeserving’ opponent. At a superficial level, it may seem that Sarita Devi’s protest does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the other three. After all Owens, Carlos & Smith and Ryzhova & Firova protested against issues that had a macro level impact. One may easily assume that Devi protested only against the judge’s decision. She wanted a Gold or Silver but was given a Bronze. However, reaching this conclusion would be naïve. I personally feel her protest was more against her own people, The Indian Olympic association (IOA) than the Koreans. It was against the apathy and corruption that runs in Indian sports administration. It was against the “chalta hai” attitude that our officials have. It was against the lack of seriousness and respect given to women sports. On the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, Sarita Devi registered a protest that would have made even the Mahatma proud. Didn’t Gandhi teach us to stand up against injustice? Putting her career on the line Devi took a stand. She gave a knockout punch standing on the podium. And you could see this was not easy for her. She was shattered and inconsolable. Athletes spend their entire life working towards the day when they can stand on a podium (on the world stage) and receive a medal for their country. None of us can imagine how hard it must have been for her to not accept it. That medal was the result of all the sacrifices she had made, all the hardships she had faced, to say ’no’ to it only shows how deeply disappointed and hurt she was. On the podium, she was shattered and alone. That image touched millions of Indians back home. Somewhere each one of us could empathize with Devi because at some point or the other we have all felt like Sarita Devi. We have all been pushed & slapped by the system. Sarita Devi’s act of defiance brought into focus multiple issues: favoritism in sports, the need to make scoring more transparent in boxing, reassessing the role of the IOA and the qualifications and suitability of the officials who travel with the teams. While the first two issues need to be addressed at a global level, the last issue is India centric. It is high-time sports associations in India be handed over to professional sports managers who not only empathize with the athletes – their aspirations, their needs and their requirements but also understand the business aspect of sports. A good administrator is a servant of the game. There are enough passionate and educated people in India who want to run sports. They must be given a chance. PM Narendra Modi should also bring sports associations in the preview of the Swachh Bharat Mission. They desperately need cleaning. As far as Sarita Devi is concerned, rules are rules and if broken… you need to suffer the consequences. However, the ban or a fine against her will be forgotten – what will be remembered is her act of defiance. On 1st Oct 2014, Sarita Devi showed us that you don’t need a medal to be declared a winner. After a long time, India has found a sportsperson who has truly inspired us.