Everybody
wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” – Joe Louis
 |
| Will dragon boat be able to raise its torch? |
Brazil seems to have its work cut out when it was recently announced to be successful bidders for the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Who wouldn't want to be part of the Olympic movement and have their sport played as a medal event in the quadrennial Olympic Games; watched by millions around the world, gaining millions more in followers, possibly leading to an acknowledgement in the sport like how the Iranian ladies have astounded the world, paddling for the World Dragon Boat Championships in 2010. However, it may mean sacrificing more than what we wish for, just to harbour a hope of representation in the biggest sporting event the world has ever seen. As dragon boater myself, I seek to really understand why there have been roadblocks in this path towards the Olympics and I hope that my readers will be enlightened by my findings.
White
elephants
Many
countries who have hosted the event have taken a huge hit after the
games. They are usually left with white elephants and infrastructure
that is seldom used. In fact, the only time that it ever privately
funded and enjoyed a surplus was in 1984, when Peter Uberroth took on
leadership (Wiki) of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee
(LAOCC). I think you know what happened to the rest of them.
The
challenge of hosting
Hosting
brings to the host country more problems that they could ever imagine
would happen in their country right from conception to execution. The
threat of existing member sports being squeezed out of the Olympic
schedule is also a high possibility exacerbated by the sheer number
of sports seeking entry. It can't be denied that economics and
unburdening host countries was also a big factor.
Overbearing
financial burden
Many
would agree to the fact that hosting the Olympics provides huge
benefits for the host nation in the expansion of roads, bridges and
facilities that may help the host city in the long run. However, the
city has to find a way to bear the immense burden of providing
transportation to an influx of atheletes, officials and tourists
alike. Besides not all venues are multi-purpose spaces. The liability
of providing special equipment needed in the sport may deem it
unsuitable for the host country to host the sport. More and more
countries exercise this right as sports are subjected to the hosts
undeniable pressure to include every possible sport that they would
have a better medal standings; which may not include dragon boat.
Political Pressure
A
very simple example of this was displayed during the inaugural Youth
Olympics held in Singapore. Goverment officials were criticized for
underestimating the costs of staging the Games where it took a
substantial portion of public funds, for no visible benefit other
than the crowning glory of being the first to host the the Youth
Olympic Games. Such is the pressure on goverments of host countries
to fully justify the large costs involved to ensure fulfilling
experience for millions of people, over a hundred thousand athletes,
tends of thousands of journalists and thousands more other attached
personnel who participate in all manners.
So
what does it all have to do with any of our National Dragon Boat
teams getting into the Olympics?
Understanding the challenges faced by the hundreds of hopefuls, some sports would see it as a more feasible option to join hands with a co-existing IOC recognised international federation. This would give the sport a better opportunity to be given the chance to have the sport represented at the Olympic games as a new event of an existing sport. What does means for us is that dragon boat would have come under the umbrella of the Singapore Canoe Federation to be given a sniffing chance to represent. Although it may not be the only and best solution, it may increase the possibility of representation in the Olympics with an existing member backing them up.
A very clear example of this case being debated about was the controversy of the Phillipines National Dragon boat team being stripped of their accreditation for refusing to join the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Federation (PCKF) as required by the International Canoe Federation, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)-recognized international sports federation. Read the Article Here
Therefore,
it is easier to campaign for inclusion through an existing channel as
they would have already been part of the influential committee.
Existing IOC members would seem to be in win-win situation knowing
that they benefited a new "variation" of their sport; to
have another sport come under their wing. This option may appeal to
many groups and communities knowing that they've improved their odds
in their favor.
Unfortunately, one may see it as a form of surrender, or making another sport of lower importance to its big brother. Many hold the ground that dragon boating is a different discipline from canoe-kayak; often pointing to their historical pasts for acknowledgement. In my own personal experience, I can only say that egos are definitely in play on both ends.
Although steps have been taken by the IDBF who have successfully gathered 80 member countries for the right to be initiated into the IOC, we will not know how policies will play out to ensure the success of the sport being seen at the Olympics. At the end of the day, I think it is a choice to the dragon boat fraternity whether our sport is worth giving up at the expense of the "prize" of gold and glory at the biggest stage of any athlete in the world. Are we willing to give up our roots to pursue our dreams?
