Level playing fields

Thomas Cup winners stand on shoulders of giants

India’s historic maiden Thomas Cup badminton title reflects the gradual expansion of sporting opportunity in India beyond the national mania for cricket. Together with boxing, wrestling, athletics, and hockey, the growing trend of successes of women and men in global sporting arenas has been slow but steady, an indication of the emerging financial eco-system to underwrite the pursuit of sports as a profession outside of the old government-defence forces-public sector complex. The four young men who made up the team that beat favourite Indonesia 3-0 in Bangkok on Sunday are a striking representation of this new development. All four literally