A mantra for excellence in sports: E=MC2

There is a discernible restlessness in the world of sport in India. In a way this is a sign of the times.
Transparency, accountability and achievement have acquired greater meaning in several walks of life and sports has not been exempt. Which is for the good.
The demand for transparency in selection in hockey, for instance came from both within and outside.The people of the country as much as those from the system compel the IHF to introspect and revise its methods.
If this is symptomatic of the national mood towards sport then India can only move up up up.
Once the public becomes even an indirect but passionate participant it can redefine the way a sport is run. Public interest, of course is critical because it provides sponsors a direct measure and sponsorship in today''s world is imperative for a sport to survive.
The more mass based the appeal, the better a sport''s financial health as cricket proves so aptly. Marketing ingenuity transforms sticky eyeballs into millions of bucks pretty easily.
Yet for India to be a true sporting nation there is a need to look beyond mostly cricket. There is a palpable surge in interest in sports - especially amongst the youth and women - which must be ''captured'' to promote other disciplines.
It will not be an easy task because interest in any discipline can only be generated if there are enough achievements. And achievement in sports is a direct function of excellence. While it is simplistic to make only administrators accountable for this I believe the responsibility is everybody''s.
How do we meet this challenge? The solution according to me lies in a clone of the Einstienian formula E=MC2. Where excellence is a direct consequence of Money, Commitment and Consistency.
The Money aspect is self explanatory. It is vital for the growth of sports and apart from the government, corporate India has to play its part. The Commitment and Consistency has to come from not only the sportspersons but also the administrators and the people.
As mentioned the responsibility to make India a sporting nation is collective. It can''t be otherwise.
Muttiah Muralitharan''s doosra has become problem No 1 for Sri Lanka, especially with the tour to Australia round the corner. His former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga believes the off-spinner should opt out in protest, what with Aussie prime minister John Howard too joining the ranks of Murali''s critics.
Ranatunga''s sentiment is understandable and consistent with the ding dong battles he himself has had with Australian cricket in the past.
However, in this case I don''t believe a boycott will help the sport, or Murali''s cause. More than PM Howard''s inopportune statements, I would value what the likes of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting have to say about Murali.
They believe he is a great bowler and as far as I''m concerned that is a whole lot more credible than what sundry others have had to say.
Murali should go and play Down Under and prove yet again what a fantastic cricketer he is. And along the way give PM Howard a doosra chance to eat his words.