India is the most populous nation on earth. Its population is 1,450,935,791 (2024) and it has pipped China to the second spot. Literally, every sixth fellow walking on the face of the planet is an Indian!
A country with a population of 1.4 billion people could barely win six medals in the biggest sports carnival on the planet- the Olympics. A total of 117 Indian athletes made up the contingent that went on the hunt for medals and sporting immortality at the Paris 2024 Olympics which ran from 26 July to 22 August. In all, India won 6 medals—a silver and five bronze. A dismal showing by any reckoning! Sports continue to be the bugbear and will need a lot of introspection, a multi-pronged approach, a well-crafted and a well-thought strategy for India to make a mark on the world stage and be counted as a Sporting Nation.
The typical and usual explanations for such a dismal showing is hackneyed and oft used—poor infrastructure, poor physique, genetic disposition, diet, politics in the sports establishments and the lack of the so called “killer instinct” and the will to win.
Let’s face it—our sportspersons fall short of expectations, compared to their better prepared opponents who trained at state-of-the art facilities. Had dedicated coaches and a balanced diet regimen. Many were spotted early on in their life by talent spotters and there was an institutionalised nurturing and grooming that took place. The desire to excel and win at major events was instilled in them at a tender age and they reciprocate from becoming good to great.
One observation that hits starkly and is undeniable is that all the winners, be it European, American, African and even Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan are meat eaters including beef. Experts argue that vegetarianism often leads to protein deficiency. The inadequacy of food habits is one aspect which has a bearing on the overall competitiveness. Their slight build also accentuates the problem further. Their lack of stamina becomes apparent and the contrast is very pronounced especially in team games like hockey and football.
India has traditionally relied on individual talent like say a PV Sindhu or a Neeraj Chopra. We have not laid emphasis on building teams with potential winners, where players synchronise their efforts to blend as a team and work toward achieving team objectives. Even in games like Cricket there is undue reliance on the individual brilliance of a Sachin, Virat or Ashwin.
Sports should be made compulsory in schools. Academics and Sports should be given equal emphasis for the overall development of the Individual. This culture should be embraced and should permeate our thinking and seep into our national consciousness. We have to start now. The results will start showing within a decade from now.
Sports should be made compulsory like forced conscription. A full-fledged Ministry of Sports and Centres of Excellence to research on Sports Psychology and Medicine is the need of the hour. Each state can take up a sport or a set of sports and create a winning ecosystem around it.
An index of development of a country is not only its economic performance but whether it has the wherewithal and the organisational ability to host Olympics where about 200 or more countries will participate. It will signify that the country has finally come of age.
We have witnessed that Winners beget Winners.
After Kapil Dev and his devils won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, expectations were raised. The country wanted India to win every World Cup. After Prakash Padukone won the All-England Badminton, we had a Gopichand, a PV Sindhu, a Saina Nehwal, a Kidambi Srikanth and Ashwini Ponnappa. Likewise in billiards and snooker, Michael Ferriera opened the floodgates. Geet Sethi, Pankaj Advani, Chitra Magimairaj captured world titles. After Vishwanathan Anand won the chess world title, we have produced grandmasters who are making a splash in the world arena.
The challenge is to breed the first set of winners and then the ripple effect takes over.
A country’s showing in sports is a vital index of development. The country will do well to create an architecture that will produce world class athletes and sportspersons. It is a process driven endeavour with clear markers and indices that will propel the country to stardom and success.
Hopefully the policy planners will begin the exercise to nurture future winners in right earnest.
(The views expressed are sole those of the author’s)
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