AITA - Shifting blame?

There has been a lot of talk on the decision of the AITA (All India Tennis Association) to take Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna out of contention for a place in the Indian squad for the next two years, or put simply, slam a two-year ban on the duo. There have been arguments from both parties followed by a unanimous opinion from experts in the duo’s favour, labelling the association’s act ‘dictatorial’. They were flabbergasted with the association’s decision, as some termed the move ‘severe’, many others questioned the timing of the decision, some felt it was unfair and a few were left wondering how a ban by a national federation works in this sport. There have also been opinions from the sports law fraternity labelling this decision ‘unjust’, as the two-year ban spelt on the duo is along the lines of those given for first-time doping and match fixing.

Inspite of these experts (ex-players and sports law professionals) voicing their opinions, there is a missing link in this debate, and one without which sports is somewhat incomplete, the fans. There almost has been no fan angle on this. A fan’s prospective is very important in any sport. There was fan disappointment after what happened during the selection just prior to the Olympics.

The reason the AITA has quoted for the ban is “the duo’s non-cooperation and indiscipline in the selection process”, but wasn’t it a selection howler by the AITA in the first place? The AITA said that the players should be ready to play with anyone for the country’s sake, but the point of great significance here is that Bhupathi and Bopanna left their respective partners to pair up so that they could be ready to take India to a podium finish at the Olympics. Even if the AITA disagreed with this and felt that Bhupathi and Paes would have been the ideal pairing, they should have banned or not considered Bhupathi and Bopanna for the Olympics. The AITA’s decision to allow the duo to contest at the Olympics, and slap a ban afterwards is like taking the the regular TV endorsement “15 days me natije, nahi to paisa wapas” (Meaning - money back guarantee on 15 days trial in case of undesired result) a little too seriously.

An important question arises here. Had the duo won a medal at the Olympics, would AITA’s attitude be any different. I strongly feel that had there been a medal, the AITA would have handed them 20 lakhs in prize money instead of the two-year ban. Another important point here is that Bhupathi was the key to India’s medal hopes as he had formed a formidable partnership with Saina Mirza for the mixed doubles competition after grabbing the French Open title just months before. If Bhupathi’s voice was heard by the AITA since he was a key to two competitions, then the organisation had an argument. But since he didn’t pair up with Sania Mirza, the ban could have been handed then. Another argument in favour of AITA could have been if they had wanted the strongest contingent to represent India at the Olympics and left the decision on the ban till later. But since none of the pairs were the strongest available in its format, it could have gone ahead with the ban then. Also, if Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna were handed a two-year ban, why was Leander Paes spared the horrors. He, too was involved in the ugly tussle and hence, should have undergone the same treatment as the impeded duo.

So, all in all, the ban seens like a selection and administrative howler by the AITA, who slapped the fine on the duo to make them the scapegoats in this calamity.

-Anubhav Roda