ROGGE WANTS INDIA TO DO A REALITY CHECK

Sports Reporter
Friday, October 17th, 2008 AT 12:10 PM

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge

There is no miracle in sports.

Hard work, and only hard will take you to your destination, said the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge during his visit to the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City in Balewadi on Thursday. In his subtle way, Dr Rogge said that India needed a lot of work to do to be able to win a possible bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

“I have not seen the facilities in New Delhi so I cannot comment on it. But the facilities in Pune and the infrastructure is impressive, but again proportionate to the needs of Commonwealth Youth Games. These facilities are excellent for the size of the games being organised.”

In response to the Indian Olym pic Association president Suresh Kalmadi's assertion that India would bid for the 2020 Olympics, Dr Rogge said he would be happy to see a bid emanating from India. “I believe the documents for the bid were being worked upon.” To conduct Olympics huge infrastructure and enormous people are required and it requires a long planning,” he said.

He added that he was impressed with the response of the people of Pune to the CYG. He suggested that Indian sports administration should concentrate on certain disciplines that have given good results in the recent past.

“Tennis, shooting, badminton, boxing, wrestling are some of the sports that you should concentrate on,” he said adding that India had a demographic potential to excel.

Dr Rogge was here to launch a new initiative of the IOA, the National Club Games. He said this was again an important step to develop sportspersons at the grass root level. “Look at what the former Soviet Union achieved and now Russia is reaping the harvest. We need to take up such projects to involve people at all levels.

Complementing the efforts put in to conduct the CYG, Dr Rogge said it was a great competition and hoped that it will leave a legacy behind.