Posoidan’s Weblog

There is a of expectation that the events at the olympics will surpass standards that have been set. And probably the Marquee events are the most looked forward to with their promise of intense competitions for gold. World sport readies itself for its biggest stage, as the Olympics gets under way this month. The impact of an Olympic medal can never be overstated. With the exception of tennis and football players, athletes and sportspersons across various discipline centre their aspiration on the quadrennial event that will determine their place in history.

The idea of the multi sport event under the International Olympic Committee was intiated by the Frenchman Baron Pierre de coubertin in 1896. Ever since, the Games – despite the difficulties it has faced over the years has grown remarkably in stature. The achievements, the records, inspiring stories of success of defiance and courage, and the personalities have blended in building the legend of the Olympics.

From Jeese Owens, Mark Splitz, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and Seger Bubka to Ian Thrope. Michael Phelpsand And Yelena Isnibayevam the rewards have come when deserved. This edition of the Games at bejing promises to surpass the standards that have been set. Marquee events promise intense competition for gold. The biggest of them all, the 100 metre race looks set for a close contest between Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.

India will send 57 athletes to Bejing this year, hoping for a better show than the solitary medal that has been a feature in the last few editions. Leander Paes, Karnam Malleswari and Rajyavardhan Rathore have salvaged potential disasters, post the decline of Indian an hockey. The absence of India, the eight time hockey gold winner, has been a bitter reality check on the state of the sport.

Realistically, India’s chances lie in disciplines like shooting, boxing and archery, though there’s little to suggest a definite medal. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will have it tough in a strong doubles field, as will Sania Mirza in singles. Despite the lack of a strong Indian presence in the Games, the event is primarily a chance to appreciate sporting excellence irrespective of nationalities.

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s younger brother Zoravar is preparing to enter Bollywood. He is taking the best possible training to make it big in filmdom, said his father. “Zoravar joined Kishore Namit Kapoor’s Acting Institute just 15 days ago. He will be there for a year. We will launch him in a big way, but it is too early to say anything more about it,” said father Yograj Singh.

Yograj, who himself has acted in more than 150 punjabi films in a career span of 30 years, says Zoravar has all the qualities to be an actor.

“He is 6 ft 4 in tall in is working on everything, which makes a good actor. Besides, he has inherited many of my qualities. I want him to make his own identify. He is 19 years old and I will make sure he fights his own battle,” said Yograj, who plays an important role in the TV series Mohe Rang De.

Yograj started his career as a cricketer and was part of the indian team for a brief period. He said he wanted Zoravar to be a cricketer, but destiny seems to have planned something else for him, “I had completely over looked Zoravar because I was concentrating on Yuvraj. Later, I realised that it was too late. But I’m happy with present situation as my sons will represented both my qualities Yuvraj as player and Zoravar as actor.”

Asked about yuvraj getting into acting, Yograj said, “I will never allow Yuvraj to get into acting until he is 40. He has to play a lot of cricket for the country. I want him to score 15,000 runs in test cricket.”