‘Olympics is special’: Former hockey stars recall sporting tales

Former hockey Olympians V Bhaskaran, Muneer Sait and Charles Cornelius on India’s chances at Olympics 2024 at Paris.

It is six months into 2024. India has won a cricket World Cup, Spain has been crowned football champs in the Europian Championship, and a young Carlos Alcarez has bagged yet another Wimbledon title.

Come July 26, the world’s sporting community will eagerly tune in to the happenings at Paris, which will host the Olympics. Metroplus goes down memory lane with three former hockey Olympians, who will be felicitated by the Chennai-based company, SharonPly, next week. Excerpts from the conversation:

Vasudevan Baskaran

Baskaran is no stranger to the Olympics. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Baskaran captained the Indian side to a historical gold medal, a proud moment for the entire sporting community in the country.

It is during his time at the Olympics village that he bumped into popular boxer Muhammad Ali and sprinter Carl Lewis. “Apart from playing in the highest level, this is a place where you meet the who’s who of every sport. There’s nothing like the Olympics,” he says.

Which is why Baskaran is headed to Paris next week, making it his tenth time at the Olympics. He will catch a few games live – Baskaran has already booked tickets for the crucial games in hockey and football – and hopes to add to his rich repository of the Olympics experience. “India will hopefully reach double digit figures in the medal tally,” he says.

He remembers the time when he was selected as the Indian hockey team captain by All India Council of Sport, then headed by Sam Manekshaw. “We struggled with limited resources, compared to other teams. We did not have advanced video analysis, but adapted by studying available footage and strategising. Despite being underdogs, we used our strengths effectively to succeed,” recalls Baskaran.