Power-hungry heads have led to three federations—football, hockey and table tennis—being brought under a court-appointed committee of administrators and the first two facing the threat of a ban by global governing bodies.
At the start of a long, passionate soliloquy on the state of sport in India, the famed sportswriter Charles Dickens said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”
It was—is—all of that.
P.V. Sindhu won the Singapore Open in July—her third title of the year, her first Super 500 title and the biggest win since taking the world championship title in 2019.
Neeraj Chopra, MIA for months since his gold at the Tokyo Olympics due to injury and related issues, capped his return to top-level athletics with a silver at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. “Silver” is, prima facie, a disappointing return for an athlete whose performances have led us to expect gold every time he takes the field. But it pays to remember that since his return to competition, he has constantly bettered
Prem Panicker has been a journalist for over 30 years. From daily newspapers to weekly magazines and digital news portals—he was one of the seven journalists who were part of the Rediff.com start-up team—he has written and edited features extensively across mediums and publications. Since quitting his job at Yahoo in 2014, he has been working as a freelance writer and editor, as well as teaching narrative journalism.
newsletters+prempanicker@mailtmc.com