Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Myopic view: On sports and politics

Myopic view: On sports and politics

Individual sportspersons should not be penalised (दण्ड देना, सज़ा देना, अनुशासन देना) for the actions of their political leaders

Last Wednesday’s decision by Wimbledon to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players for the 2022 edition of the world’s premier (प्रधान, अग्रणी, सर्वोच्च) tennis tournament has opened a can of worms (a troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious but not necessarily complex). With the Russia-Ukraine war raging (be violent, be at its height, be turbulent, be uncontrollable, continue with intensity), the All England Club stated that “it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime (शासन, सरकार) to derive any benefits from the involvement (भागीदारी, भाग लेना, सहभागिता) of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships”. Even as the Club acknowledged (स्वीकार करना, पहचानना, एहसास करना) it was hard on individual athletes, chairman Ian Hewitt said “they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime”. It will affect dozens of players including men’s World No.2 and reigning (defending, current) US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, World No.8 Andrey Rublev, women’s World No.4 Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Major winner Victoria Azarenka. The move (कदम, क्रिया, चाल, कार्यवाही) was by no means (किसी भी तरह से नहीं, बिल्कुल नहीं) unique; in March, World Athletics had similarly ostracised (बहिष्कृत करना, निष्कासित करना) Russian and Belarusian athletes. But Wimbledon’s decision was unprecedented (अभूतपूर्व, अनोखा) because unlike other sports, tennis more or less (करीब करीब, कुछ हद तक) transcends (go beyond, rise above, cut across) nationalism (राष्ट्रवाद). Except in team events such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup — from which Russia is currently banned — players’ entry into a tournament is based solely on ranking and not nationality. Criticism from legends like Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova was rooted in this fact, so was the pushback (resistance, opposition (to a change)) from ATP and WTA, the governing bodies of the men’s and women’s tours.

That Wimbledon could act unilaterally (एकतरफ़ा) has much to do with tennis’ splintered (divided, fragmented, split, separated, disintegrated) administration (प्रशासन, प्रबंधन, संचालन). There is no umbrella organisation (an association of institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources) that directs the sport; the four Majors, ATP, WTA and International Tennis Federation act independently. There is not an autonomous (स्वायत्तशासी, स्वतंत्र, स्व-निर्णायक) players’ union either. Shorn of checks and balances (नियंत्रण और संतुलन), Wimbledon, to seemingly (obviously, palpably, apparently) avoid the optics (the way in which something (political action/situation) is recognized by the general public) of a Russian or Belarusian player holding aloft (upwards, up, on high, higher, into the air) the trophy — a genuine possibility (chance, likelihood, probability, prospect, hope) considering Sabalenka was a semifinalist in 2021 — thought it was best to impose a blanket (outright, overall, general, all-round, sweeping, total, complete) ban. But this militates (work against, go against, be detrimental to, resist, hinder/oppose) against the principle of fairness (equity, rationality, impartiality, integrity, neutrality) and equal opportunity and may force the ATP and WTA to strip the (dispossess, deprive, deny, prevent from having) event of ranking points, turning it (change something into a particular kind of thing) into a glorified (enshrined, revered, venerated) exhibition tournament. The episode (a group of events; incident, event, affair, occurrence) also brings into focus the role of the British government, whose guidelines Wimbledon said it had taken into account (consider, take into consideration, bear in mind, reckon with, heed). Last month, Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston demanded that Russian players attest (declare, announce, state, claim, submit) “they were not supporters of Vladimir Putin”, despite Medvedev and Rublev publicly calling for (publicly) ask for, request, demand) peace. In fact, Mr. Huddleston’s view was similar to the one espoused (support, embrace, back, urge, promote, advocate, endorse, recommend, champion) by Ukrainian players led by Elina Svitolina, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist. While one can empathise (understand, relate to, feel for, have insight into, sympathize) with the Ukrainians’ feelings, considering their tragic lived experiences, it sets a damaging precedent (model, exemplar, example, pattern; previous example/instance, prior instance) when nations start penalising individual citizens for the actions of political leaders. It appears that both Wimbledon and the British government do not want to see the wood for the trees.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.penalise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दण्ड देना, सज़ा देना, अनुशासन देना
English Meaning - punish, discipline, mete out punishment to.

2.premier (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रधान, अग्रणी, सर्वोच्च
English Meaning - leading, highest, pre-eminent, outstanding.

3.regime (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शासन, सरकार
English Meaning - government.

4.involvement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भागीदारी, भाग लेना, सहभागिता
English Meaning - participation, taking part, engagement.

5.acknowledge (verb)

Hindi Meaning - स्वीकार करना, पहचानना, एहसास करना
English Meaning - accept, recognize, realize.

6.move (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कदम, क्रिया, चाल, कार्यवाही
English Meaning - step, action, act, measure.

7.by no means (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - किसी भी तरह से नहीं, बिल्कुल नहीं
English Meaning - not at all, in no way, , on no account, under no circumstance.

8.ostracise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बहिष्कृत करना, निष्कासित करना
English Meaning - exclude, reject, blacklist, shun/spurn.

9.unprecedented (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अभूतपूर्व, अनोखा
English Meaning - not done or experienced before.

10.more or less (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - करीब करीब, कुछ हद तक
English Meaning - nearly, almost, to a certain extent/level.

11.nationalism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राष्ट्रवाद
English Meaning - it refers to a system (with narrow set of ideas) created by a group of people who believe their nation is superior to all others. It is also a perception of national superiority and an orientation toward national dominance- called as chauvinism (excessive nationalism).

12.unilaterally (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - एकतरफ़ा
English Meaning - used to indicate something done by a person/country without approval/agreement from other people/countries involved in the situation.

13.administration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रशासन, प्रबंधन, संचालन
English Meaning - management, operation, leadership.

14.autonomous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्वायत्तशासी, स्वतंत्र, स्व-निर्णायक
English Meaning - self-governing, independent, self-determining.

15.checks and balances (plural noun)

Hindi Meaning - नियंत्रण और संतुलन
English Meaning - a system in which all departments of a government organization have right to amend/limit the powers of the other departments in order to avoid dominance of one department.

16.myopic (adjective)

English Meaning - short-sighted, narrow-minded, small-minded, unimaginative, lacking foresight, parochial, illiberal, intolerant.

17.a can of worms (phrase)

English Meaning - a troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious but not necessarily complex.

18.rage (verb)

English Meaning - be violent, be at its height, be turbulent, be uncontrollable, continue with intensity.

19.be hard on (phrase)

English Meaning - be or unfair to.

20.reigning (adjective)

English Meaning - defending, current.

21.transcend (verb)

English Meaning - go beyond, rise above, cut across.

22.be rooted in (verb)

English Meaning - have as an origin or cause.

23.pushback (noun)

English Meaning - resistance, opposition (to a change).

24.splintered (adjective)

English Meaning - divided, fragmented, split, separated, disintegrated.

25.umbrella (noun as modifier)

English Meaning - protection, guidance, support, backing, guardianship.

26.umbrella organization (noun)

English Meaning - an association of institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources.

27.(be) shorn of (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to have something important removed from.

28.seemingly (adverb)

English Meaning - obviously, palpably, apparently.

29.optics (noun)

English Meaning - the way in which something (political action/situation) is recognized by the general public.

30.aloft (adverb)

English Meaning - upwards, up, on high, higher, into the air.

31.possibility (noun)

English Meaning - chance, likelihood, probability, prospect, hope.

32.blanket (noun)

English Meaning - outright, overall, general, all-round, sweeping, total, complete.

33.militate (against) (verb)

English Meaning - work against, go against, be detrimental to, resist, hinder/oppose.

34.fairness (noun)

English Meaning - equity, rationality, impartiality, integrity, neutrality.

35.strip of (verb)

English Meaning - dispossess, deprive, deny, prevent from having.

36.turn into (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - change something into a particular kind of thing.

37.glorified (adjective)

English Meaning - enshrined, revered, venerated.

38.episode (noun)

English Meaning - a group of events; incident, event, affair, occurrence.

39.take into account (phrase)

English Meaning - consider, take into consideration, bear in mind, reckon with, heed.

40.attest (verb)

English Meaning - declare, announce, state, claim, submit.

41.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - (publicly) ask for, request, demand.

42.espouse (verb)

English Meaning - support, embrace, back, urge, promote, advocate, endorse, recommend, champion.

43.empathise (verb)

English Meaning - understand, relate to, feel for, have insight into, sympathize.

44.precedent (noun)

English Meaning - model, exemplar, example, pattern; previous example/instance, prior instance.

45.be unable to see the wood/forest for the trees (phrase)

English Meaning - to be unable to understand the whole situation (main issue) clearly because you are too closely involved in all of the small details of it.