The government won’t allow overseas citizens to represent the country at international events. Ritu Sejwal assesses the loss
Robert Blanchette, the show jumping rider, wants to be a part of the contingent for the London Olympics. But there is a hitch: Blanchette holds an American passport, though he is of Indian origin. In December 2008, a few months after the Beijing Olympics, the government had ruled that only those who hold an Indian passport will represent the country in international events. Since India does not offer dual citizenship, this has cut off Blanchette and at least 20 other sportsmen.
The government had its logic worked out: “Made in India” athletes, who train under tough circumstances, should get priority over others. It was also the three medals that Indians won at Beijing that gave the government the pluck to pull the plug on Blanchette and others. The list also includes a swimmer, a heavyweight wrestler, a shooter, and squash and tennis players. Many of them have gone to court in one final hope of being able to represent India. A few have given up and hung their gloves.
Popular perception favours the homespun sportsmen. “These overseas citizens were able to represent India not because they were the best in the world, but because they were just ‘better’ than someone in India. They made use of loopholes to get access to international events,” says Hakimuddin Habibullah, who represented India at the Olympics in swimming and is the founder of Winning Matters, a sports consultancy. “The joy of winning comes not only when you are born in India but also made in India.”
Though the rule came into force in late 2008, Karm Kumar, squash player, has been fighting the ban from much before when the Squash Racquet Federation of India made an Indian passport mandatory for international events. Kumar holds a British passport as his father was born there. Kumar can represent Delhi, but not India. Rahul Kumar, his father, calls it a ‘complete case of sabotage’. “When foreign-based nationals are not allowed to wear the Indian flag, why are foreign coaches,” says he. Incidentally, in September 2007, Kumar was selected as a special player under the long-term development plan (2006-2010) for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Roma Bhagat, the counsel for Kumar and Blanchette, argues that a government notification of April 11, 2005 noted that overseas citizens of India should get the same chances as NRIs and can therefore play for the country.
Still, the ban has slammed the doors on tennis players Prakash Amritraj, Shikha Uberoi and Sunitha Rao. “It’s been two long years; unfortunately it is still in the courts, not the tennis courts,” says Uberoi. Rao represented India at the Olympics, Uberoi along with Sania Mirza won silver at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, and Amritraj has been a regular at the Davis Cup. Uberoi says she will fight the ban. “I have been cheering India from the sidelines, and I miss being able to play for India,” says she. “A piece of paper never proves where my heart and intentions have always been. A court ruling doesn’t make me more or less Indian. ” Uberoi claims that she has been offered to play for other countries but has spurned all such offers.
Rao, in contrast, has decided to quit the sport. Rao, born in a Kannada-speaking family, holds an American passport. She was at the peak of her career when she was dropped out of the Fed Cup team following the ban. The Bhamri sisters too have quit tennis.
Swimmer Ankur Poseria, who represented India in Beijing, too has quit the sport. After Beijing, the swimmer was looking forward to the Commonwealth Games, London and beyond. But his American passport played spoilsport. “Training like an Olympic-caliber athlete left me too exhausted to take care of my career. In the past two years I have seen my career flourish at the expense of swimming, but no matter what I train hard every single day in the hope that perhaps the policy will be lifted,” he says.
Wrestler Naveen Singh Suhag has a similar story to tell. He was a part of Mittal Champions Trust for a brief period. Suhag had represented Switzerland at World Championship (China) in 2006. He then went on to represent India at the Beijing Olympics. Just 15 days before the policy came into effect, Suhag changed his passport. Having changed his country of representation twice already, the 120-kg wrestler can’t be a part of India unless of course the ban is lifted.
The all-important question is what is India missing because of the ban? In some cases, India could do with these athletes. In 2003 and 2004, Blanchette was one of the three winning show jumping riders in Sweden. India has never had a show jumping team competing in North America or Europe. The level of competition and cost of the sport in these regions is prohibitive for riders based in India. The sport is already losing its popularity in India. Quarantine restrictions add to the woes, as was evident in the Guangzhou Asian Games. “My goal is the London Olympics. Whether or not I compete in London may pivot on our success in the court,” says Blanchette. In 2007, Proseria was the highest ranked Indian, according to the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) rankings.
In the other cases, the loss to the country doesn’t add up to much. Uberoi, ranked as high as 122 in 2005, dropped to as low as 592 in 2008. Trinidad-born swimmer Sangeeta Rani Puri, represented India at the Beijing Olympics (1996) and disappeared after that. The better-than-expected performance of Indian athletes in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games will ensure that the overseas athletes will not find it easy to represent India in a hurry.
