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SARS scare hangs over Asian Grand Prix
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With the number of SARS cases on the rise, organisers are just hoping that the Asian Grand Prix meet in Hyderabad beginning May 28 sees a full strength competition, writes ABHIJIT SEN GUPTA.
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CONSISTENT PERFORMER: Bahadur Singh Sagoo
THE GMC Balayogi stadium in Gachibowli will once again be in the limelight when the Asian Grand Prix athletic championship is conducted there on May 28.
This will be the second time the event is being held in Hyderabad - which as per the promises made earlier by IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, will be a permanent venue for the Asian Grand Prix (AGP) meet.
It hardly seems like an entire year has passed since the memorable contests were witnessed at the first Asian GP held last year when international stars such as Damayanthi Darsha and Sugath Tillakeratne of Sri Lanka, Reanchai Sriharwong of Thailand and India's own K.M. Beenamol set the track ablaze. India's clean sweep of the shot put medals and I.A Sivananda's unexpected surge to the gold in the men's 3000 metres are still fresh in memory. One hopes that Indian athletes will put up commendable performances once again.
International sports events, such as the Asian Grand Prix athletics, and the WTA Indian Open tennis tournament as well as the World Cup chess championship held earlier, are evidence of the growing stature of Hyderabad as a venue for international sports events.
But one drawback that was witnessed during last year's GP meet was the absence of some top Japanese athletes, such as sprinter Koji Ito who is one of the best in the business within the Asian continent and has clocked timings of 10 seconds flat for the 100 metres and 20.16 seconds for the 200 metres. Other big names missing were those of Koji Murofushi - Asian Games record holder in the hammer throw and javelin thrower Kajuhiro Mizoguchi. Sri Lanka's ace sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was also absent from the fray.
RUN FOR IT: K.M. Beenamol (Centre)
But it is a well-known fact that Japan does not usually expose its top athletes in meets below Olympic and Asiad level for reasons best known to them.
It is hoped that the practice will change especially since the prize money for this year's GP meet has been increased substantially in an effort to attract the best athletes in Asia.
From India's point of view, the most heartening topic is the consistently good performance of its athletes in recent times notwithstanding some cases of positive drug tests, which have hit the headlines of late.
One of the consistent performers has been shot-putter Bahadur Singh Sagoo. He seems to have successfully stepped into the slot vacated by the formidable Shakti Singh whose performances in this event have become legendary. After a long and illustrious career, Shakti seems ready to call it a day and the man who has now taken up the mantle is the burly Bahadur. In last year's GP meet this strongman from Punjab took the gold with a heave of 19.32 metres and Navpreet Singh and Kuldeep Mann took the silver and bronze respectively to make it a memorable day for the host nation.
The trio thereby kept up the tradition set earlier by the senior Bahadur Singh who in the 80s dominated the shot put event at the Asian level. The elder Bahadur now grey haired but still fighting fit and full of hearty confidence, is at the helm of affairs as the coach and it is hoped that under his guidance the newcomers will continue to dominate the event in the coming years also.
This year however the SARS scare has created a new hurdle for the organisers. The scourge of SARS has badly affected economic activity throughout the globe and its effects have been felt in the world of sports also.
Recently the World Badminton Championship scheduled in Birmingham from May 12 was postponed because the member associations of the International Badminton Federation expressed concern and reluctance to send their players on tour based upon advice of the respective governments.
However the organisers of the Grand Prix are hoping that the Hyderabad meet will go off smoothly. According to Mr. Lalit Bhanot, Secretary of the AAFI, the onus will be on the participating countries to clear their athletes before sending them to take part in the meet.
He also stated that some of the best athletes in Asia have already confirmed their entries.
But with some major sporting events in the world having already been hit by lack of participation due to the SARS scare, it remains to be seen whether the Asian GP this year will have full strength competition or not.
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