Bad sport?

The feud between the pugilists Telangana boxer Nikhat Zareen and Mary Kom ended with an intensely played-out bout on Saturday, where Mary Kom emerged victorious and sealed her place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in the 51-kg category. However, the talking point, unfortunately, was the drama that ensued post-match.

Mary refused her defeated opponent the customary handshake. And no matter how both boxers clarify their stand regarding the contentious incident, the buzz around it refuses to die.

Former captain of Indian Netball Team, Prachi Tehlan, defends Mary Kom. “I know Mary Kom personally as we’ve played the Commonwealth Games. She’s a wonderful sportsperson and has achieved incredible things. Definitely, she might’ve gone through much emotionally, which people cannot see. Nikhat should’ve stayed away from challenging Mary. She seems deceptive in her approach too. So, how can Mary hug her?” expresses Prachi.

Contrastingly, Jwala Gutta, the badminton star who won bronze at the 2011 BWF World Championships (London), states that as a senior player, Mary could’ve been more gracious. “I don’t know the history of the two players, but as a senior and a Member of Parliament, Mary could’ve been the bigger person and set a precedent for others who look up to her. Also, as sport is about challenging one another, Mary could’ve taken this one in her stride,” explains Jwala.

As much as sports brings out the player’s humility and competitive side, sometimes it rolls in the emotions, when players get carried away. Olympic medallist Karnam Malleswari feels that Mary Kom’s is one such incident.

“I think people are zooming into the incident,” Malleswari expresses, adding that boxing itself is an aggressive sport and that the behaviour of a player depends on his/her natural instincts. “There was a lot going on between them before the match. It’s possible those issues might’ve added to Mary’s resentment,” says Malleshwari.

While the debate draws diverse perspectives, could this make for an interesting case of talent versus behaviour, we wonder, especially when sometimes, the former could prevail over the latter.

Prachi chips in about several players who’re arrogant yet extremely talented. However, their on-field behaviour doesn’t take away credit from them.

“I’ve been in Mary’s situation earlier too, and it's really unfair to judge her character and sportsmanship from just one-off incident. Moreover, Mary expressed her opinion in her gesture. How does that bring down her sportsman spirit?” Prachi wonders.

However, former National Kabaddi player and commentator Radhika Reddy begs to differ. She feels Mary should’ve been more affable. “What Mary did was not appreciable. Given her credibility as a player, she could’ve put aside everything and set the right example. Her act isn’t in the right spirit of sports. Behaviour is the key to sports — it nurtures players into better individuals,” comments Radhika.

Meanwhile, long-jumper and bronze-medal winner at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris Anju Bobby George believes whatever happens, sports should be the ultimate winner.

“The whole objective of sports is to promote relations. Any game should be played in that spirit, and at the end of the day, people should talk about the match and nothing else,” Anju remarks.