Boxing Day !!!

Remember Dingko Singh ,the boxer who won Asian Games gold medal in Bangkok(1998).Well ,it seems we all have forgotten his heroics.In a nation ,where only cricket matters ,it is no surprise that other sportsperson are soon forgotten.Coming to Beijing Olympics ,Abhinav Bindra's gold has brought cheer to a billion Indians and more importantly it has inspired Indian boxers to come up with some superlative performances.Now as things stand ,three Indian boxers namely,Akhil Kumar(bantam weight),Jitender Kumar(fly-weight) and Virender Kumar(middle-weight) have booked quarterfinal berths.Akhil Kumar stands out as he defeated world champion Sergei in a tough fight and through a split verdict after being tied 9-9 on points.He has set his eyes firmly on the gold and if there was a gold medal for confidence he would have won hands down. Jitender and Virender have had comprehensive victories over their respective opponents.One just hopes that all three of them box away to sporting glory.Hopefully, it will inspire not just the govt.,but more importantly the general public to take interest in sports other than cricket and consider sports as a viable profession and not just a pass-time.The parents who want their sons and daughters to excel only in studies have to understand that there is a world beyond academic achievements and they should extend all support to their wards if they show that spark in any field and not just force them to outscore the neighbour's child in exam.Wishful thinking ,huh ?