The ambience in Indian sport is one of gloom and mistrust. It is one where the very essence of the sport has been jolted. Cricket, because of the many criminal actors, some of who are now in jail, has been reduced to a charade. While some say that IPL gate and the stunning discoveries over the last two weeks climaxing with the arrests have signed a death warrant to this noble, gentlemanly sport, it is time to suggest that Indian sport was never completely free of corruption. The disease had afflicted Indian hockey in the 1930s as the report reproduced here from 6 May 1932 will have us believe. Match fixing was going on in Kolkata in the Beighton Cup hockey tournament.
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Extracts from Sporting Times: The 175 Year Journey Of Indian Sports, launched in Mumbai today as part of the Times of India's 175th anniversary celebrations that uses the Times of India archives to document the India sporting story.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
