An F1 fan’s open letter to the sports ministry

Indian motorsports has never had it this good. Formula One is now staple weekend entertainment in homes across the country, with millions of Indian fans tuning in to watch the action live on their television sets, come raceday. Adding to the patriotic fervor and giving them reason to cheer is an Indian team and an upcoming Indian Grand Prix slated for 2011. Inspired performances by India’s top racing drivers have been instrumental in raising the domestic profile of the sport. Promising young talent is now making its presence felt at international racing championships, as more youngsters turn towards the sport as a serious career prospect.

Indifferent attitude

Despite its steady increase in popularity, the government’s attitude towards motorsport has been rather indifferent. The very fact that it refuses to accept racing as a sport, speaks volumes about the biased treatment meted out to our racing drivers. While lesser known sportsmen have been presented the Arjuna award for excellence in sports, internationally reputed Indian racing drivers like Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok have missed the bus, since theirs is neither an Olympic sport, nor is it cricket. The government needs to have a much needed relook at its definition of a “sport” if it fails to recognize the only Indian to have driven in Formula One, win races in A1GP, Formula Three and to have participated in the popular Le Mans series.
It was with much fanfare that the sports minister announced plans for an F1 Grand Prix in 2007, prompting followers of the sport to finally believe that the government’s perception about racing was on the mend. Sadly, its biased attitude towards anything related with the sport resurfaced yet again in 2009 when it denied the promoters of the event, the approval to remit $36.6 million to the Formula One Administration. When asked for reasons, the Sports Ministry refused to oblige, bluntly stating that neither does it consider Formula One a sport nor does it believe the race would do any good to Indian sports as such.

Sports like hockey and football, despite receiving huge financial and infrastructural grants by the government are yet to prove themselves in the international arena. Indian racers, on the other hand have done their country proud by winning races around the world, with little support from the government. Racing is no easy task; add to that the constant search for sponsorship and the driver has an extremely tough job on his hands. I mean no disrespect to other sports which are great in their own right. I only question the logic of according special status to a sport, just because it features at the Olympics. Formula One is regarded as a major championship worldwide, with most countries vying for the honour of getting a spot on the F1 calendar. An F1 race automatically raises the host nation’s prestige and translates into millions of dollars of revenue in tourism and ticket sales. That apart, it also helps in nurturing new talent, with a world class circuit to fall back upon.

International Perspective

Countries around the world have shed their inhibitions on motorsports and have accepted their racers into the sporting fraternity with open arms. Lewis Hamilton managed to break all shackles of race and poverty to emerge as 2008 Formula One world champion. The reason for his triumph? A supportive government which never hesitated to recognize and promote genuine sporting talent, no matter what discipline. His stellar championship winning performance during the 2008 F1 season was promptly rewarded by bestowing upon him the coveted “PRIDE OF BRITAIN - Most Inspiring Public Figure Award”. Seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher was twice conferred upon with the prestigious “Laureus World Sports Award for sportsman of the year” in 2002 and 2004 by a selection panel of the world's leading sports editors, writers, broadcasters from over 80 countries and the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
As we strive to become a superpower of the 21st century, it is only appropriate for us to shed our misconceptions and embrace our heroes. A motorsport enthusiast and diehard F1 fan, I sincerely hope for the best.