Among them are the Korean archery coach Lee Wang Woo and physiotherapist Heath Matthews, and Malhotra says work is afoot to get "more experts on board full-time." The Beijing experience shows it helps to have them around. When an errant velcro strap of Jitender Kumar's helmet cut into skin under his chin during his bashing of Uzbekistan's Tulashboy Doniyorov at Beijing, it was a gloomy portent. His wound, if visible four days later, would have prompted the refree to disallow him to fight his quarterfinal bout. That's where Matthews came in—he managed to find a surgeon who sewed Jitender's wound in a manner that hid the stitches.
Matthews, who works 35 weeks a year for MCT and whose cooling-down techniques have helped the boxers immensely, told Outlook, "These things happen. If you want to be cutting edge, if you want to compete at the highest level regardless of the situation you have found yourself in, you have to have cutting edge technology and a scientific approach."
About the MCT, he said, "They're doing a very fine job. Bindra has worked very intensely with the trust for over two years. Eighty per cent of the Indian quarterfinalists at Beijing have been involved with the trust. And Vijender, though no more part of the trust, did benefit from my involvement."
What exactly has MCT brought to sport? "Professionalism," says Malhotra. "Corporates make a difference not because they infuse money, it's because they infuse professionalism into sport." But the MCT's real test would come four years later at the 2012 Olympics in London, which happens to be the adopted home of the Mittals. That perhaps provided them the stimulus to make a sporting statement for the land of their birth. And India seems to be making the most of this sporting largesse.
