Selection games

Sania's mother in Olympic team? AITA is only following tradition of choosing unprofessionally

It's reassuring to know that Sania Mirza will have her mother around in the Games Village. With London expected to be chilly and competition at the Games heated, a dose of "sleep well, eat well" motherly diktat will be healthy for the tennis star. But can Naseema Mirza also give vital inputs during strategy meetings or spot a rival's weakness at play? Well, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) can't be expected to cater to all the needs of the players even though it has been so excessively accommodating of their specific and separate needs of late. In fact, it has bent over backwards so far that it has invoked suspicions of a lost spine. Besides, in AITA's defence, by including Sania's mother in the contingent for London, it was merely following an age-old tradition where the selection criteria for officials despatched on plump tours have more to do with patronage and only rarely with professionalism.

The syndrome starts at the top. India was the last nation to name its chef de mission for the London Games. Reason: factional squabbling among officials. So India went unrepresented at important pre-Games meetings, missed briefings and a chance to list the needs of its athletes. Now showing in IOA corridors is the battle for the post of press attache for the July-August event. Once again, the house is divided on the issue.

These loose ends have routinely resulted in embarrassment for the country on the world stage. In the past, officials outnumbered athletes at the opening ceremony march-past. Missing formal wear or ill-fitting sports wear is a common complaint heard from the Indian contingent at big events. Players have often moaned about officials being busy shopping for their children back home when they were needed at the sporting arena. Maybe with mothers as officials, that won't happen.

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