India to sing the anthem for champions

September 2, 2012
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Dikha de jalwa' , 'Toofan utha' , 'Dum laga India' , 'Macha de halla' , 'Jam ke laga India' — these cries from the heart are often heard at sporting events as fans spur on Indian sport stars for that extra point, run or goal.

It's only befitting that these and other desi cheers lie at the heart of a new sporting anthem that seeks to unite the nation and fans behind their sporting heroes.


The anthem 'Cheer for Champions ' is, aptly, the brainwave of five of India's best — Dilip Vengsarkar (cricket), Ashwini Ponappa ( badminton), Dhanraj Pillay ( hockey), I M Vijayan ( football) and Anjum Chopra (cricket).

Vengsarkar says that the time is right to have a common sporting anthem that can be sung for all sports across the country in one voice. "I have seen fans singing motivational songs in countries like England and Australia in whatever sport their country may be playing.


The concept has come to India too with IPL and the individual team anthems. It's time we have a common sporting anthem now as it's a completely different high to have an entire stadium roaring to your every good move."

He recalls hearing the crowd's full-throated rendition of the 'Chak De' song during the first T-20 World Cup final in 2008, when India played against Pakistan . "It was like the anthem in that game, which we won handsomely .

It was a different feeling and really charged us all up to be amongst thousands of voices singing together," he says.

It's these intense emotions that music composer Ranjit Barot is tapping into as he sets the tune for the anthem. The lyrics are being crowd-sourced , using the net and radio. "We asked people to submit the cheers that they use in sporting events.

We are working them into the anthem along with a lyricist," says Barot, who was the music composer for the Delhi Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies. But, he clarifies, it will be different from chants like 'Chak De' or 'Jai Ho' .

"We are trying to speak from the heart, something that galvanizes everyone to reach higher." Ashwini Ponappa agrees and says, "I love both these songs, they are so Indian. But a sports anthem is not like a movie song — it will reach out to the spectator and the player as one."

Dramatic, uplifting, arrogant, triumphant and sometimes hypermasculine — most great sporting anthems such as the Spanish 'Ole Ole Ole' are all this and much more. A majority of stadium chants in the west are drawn from rock and roll, pop or dance hits like 'We Are The Champions' and 'Survival' by Muse, which was the London Olympics' official song.

Post-Olympics , British PM David Cameron has pitched for England to have its own anthem for sports teams, with his personal preference being 'Jerusalem' , based on a William Blake poem.

However, Barot's inspiration is not any of the globally known anthems but the broad and diverse cultural palette that India offers. It's a massive task — reportedly two million cheers have been collected already in various languages from across the country .

"One plan is to combine all the cheers!" says Varun Sharma, brand manager of Vicks, which is supporting the creation and development of the anthem.

The real challenge, though, lies in composing a melody that would be on the lips of every chestthumping fan, whether it be victory or defeat. However, the problem here would be the lack of sportsmanship of Indian fans.

In a survey of 50 Indian sporting icons done by sports training and consulting firm Tenvic in late July, while there was unanimous agreement that Indians are supportive when Indian sportspeople were on top, 52% felt fans were unsupportive in defeat.


A majority agreed that England and Australia were the best in terms of crowd support, even when they're on the losing side.


For Pillay, playing in Holland was the best experience. "They treat you like you are part of them...I have never seen them abusing or shouting against any team, even if they are winning against the home country," he says.


That's the spirit sports persons yearn for in India. As Mithali Raj, captain of the women's cricket team, commented during the survey : "I'd give anything to have crowds yelling, let alone yelling anything specific, in women's matches."

It's a hope that the new anthem, to be launched at the T20 World Cup next month, will assure our sports persons that they are not playing alone.




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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Filipina weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz noticed live-streamed concerts were collecting money for coronavirus relief and was struck by inspiration: why not raise funds with an online workout?

Since then the Olympic silver-medallist -- and strong contender for her country's first Games gold -- has made enough money to buy food packs for hundreds of hard-hit families in the Philippines.

Diaz has done it all from Malaysia, where she was training to qualify for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics when much of the world locked down against the virus in March.

"I thought (distribution) would be impossible because I'm not physically present," Diaz, 29, told news agency.

"It's a good thing that I have trusted friends and trusted family members who understand why we need to do a fundraising."

That circle of supporters has handed out the packages, which include vegetables, eggs and rice, to more than 400 families.

The food was bought with donations from about 50 people who joined sessions that lasted up to three hours, and gave them a rare chance to train with an elite athlete.

Diaz rose to fame in 2016 after snagging a surprise silver in the 53 kilogramme category in Rio, becoming the Philippines' first female Olympic medallist and ending the nation's 20-year medal drought at the Games.

Two years later, she won gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

However, her quest to qualify for Tokyo is on hold ahead of the Games' rescheduled opening in July 2021.

"I thought all the hard work would soon be over... then it was extended," she said. "But I'm still thankful I can still continue with (the training) I need to do."

Still, the lockdown broke her daily training regimen, keeping her away from weights for 14 days for the first time in her career.

"I felt like I was losing my mind already. I've been carrying the barbell for 18 years and all of a sudden it's gone. Those were the kinds of anxiety that I felt," she said.

But she got access to some equipment, and with her coach's urging, got back to work. She was relieved to find her strength was still there.

Instead of a Tokyo berth, the past months have been about a different kind of accomplishment for Diaz: helping her countrymen get through the coronavirus crisis.

Rosemelyn Francisco's family in Zamboanga City, Diaz's home town, is one of the first to get help from the athlete's initiative, and is deeply grateful.

Her family was not wealthy to begin with, and the pandemic has cost her husband his construction job.

"The food she donated has all everything we need, including eggs," said Francisco, 27.

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News Network
March 5,2020

New Delhi, Mar 5: Cricket's slow geographical expansion is turning out to be a blessing in disguise for the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) which looks set to beat the dreaded novel coronavirus threat and go ahead as scheduled.

At a time when the number of recorded deaths because of the deadly outbreak across the globe is touching 3500 with a plethora of international sporting events getting cancelled, the IPL seems to be in a parallel universe where "all is well".

And there are multiple practical reasons why the T20 extravaganza will be held as per schedule. A major reason is the small number of countries that play the game and an even smaller fraction of overseas players, who will compete in the world's richest cricket league starting March 29 in Mumbai.

Till Thursday, the reported number of positive COVID-19 cases in India stood at 29, including 16 Italian tourists. However, none of the overseas recruits of eight IPL franchises have expressed any apprehensions about travelling to India.

Just over 60 players from cricket nations such as Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and the Caribbean islands comprise the elite foreign brigade and the reported positive cases of coronavirus in all these countries is next to none.

"The IOC is saying Olympics in Tokyo will be held as per schedule. In comparison, IPL is a minuscule tournament. If Olympics can be held, there's no reason why IPL can't be held," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

STAR SPORTS FACTOR

The second and perhaps the biggest reason is broadcasters. Star Sports has bought the rights for Rs 16,347 crore (USD 2.55 billion) for a period of five years and their advertising revenues will take a huge hit if the tournament doesnt go ahead as planned. Former Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua explained the economics. "Look Star as well as BCCI has got everything insured. I don't know if there is any specific insurance cover for cancellation due to coronavirus but there is no chance of that happening if I read the situation properly," Dua told PTI.

GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES

The BCCI is also depending on the guidelines given by the government with regards to dealing with the health crisis.  "Every person availing international flights will be screened for coronavirus at the port of entry. That is the biggest health security measure. Obviously the BCCI will strictly adhere to any health advisory that government will issue," a Board official said.

But since there is an advisory that social gatherings are inadvisable at this point, won't it affect the league? "You will only come to know once the ticket sales start. If the stadiums are packed, that means people are coming but if stands are largely empty, then you can presume that people are wary.

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News Network
July 20,2020

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

At today’s meeting of the IBC Board (the commercial subsidiary of the ICC), windows for the next three ICC men’s events were also agreed to bring clarity to the calendar and give the sport the best possible opportunity over the next three years to recover from the disruption caused by COVID-19.

The windows for the Men’s events are:

1. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held October – November 2021 with the final on 14 November 2021

2. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be held October – November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022

3. ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in India October – November 2023 with the final on 26 November 2023

The IBC Board agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022.

The IBC Board will also continue to evaluate the situation in relation to being able to stage the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand in February next year. In the meantime, planning for this event continues as scheduled.

The Board will also continue to evaluate the situation in relation to being able to stage the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We have undertaken a comprehensive and complex contingency planning exercise and through this process, our number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport.

“The decision to postpone the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world.

“Our Members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket. Moving the Men’s Cricket World Cup to a later window is a critical element of this and gives us a better chance of maintaining the integrity of the qualification process. This additional time will be used to reschedule games that might be lost because of the pandemic ensuring qualification can be decided on the field of play.

“Throughout this process we have worked closely with our key stakeholders including governments, Members, broadcasters, partners and medical experts to enable us to reach a collective decision for the good of the game and our fans. I would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment to a safe return to cricket.”

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