5 reasons why India has struggled at the Olympics
1. Non-establishment of a college sports culture
In USA, college sports fans are religious fanatics – not in the way they believe in Jesus or anything of that sort (maybe, they do – none of my business) but following their college teams means more than just rivalry, competition and silverware – ‘it is a source of belief in existence’..their identity. Several of the most successful athletes in the U.S and many other countries learn the tricks of their trade in successful college programs where competition is strong. It’s not the only key to success, but it helps. Sometimes, it could be the essential difference between a couple of medals and nothing. In India, that’s where it has to improve. Media coverage has to be dedicated to collegiate athletes who should be encouraged to pursue sports, rather than just completing degrees to sit at a not so pleasurable desk.
2. Cricket – WHY YOU NO STOP HOGGING LIMELIGHT?
When India won the World Cup, the country went wild. Streets were crowded to the extent of suffocation. Ibeing a proper desi, celebrated in this festivity too. Well, it’s good that India won the World Cup and Tendulkar finally achieved what evaded him for his entire career, but Indian sports lovers should look beyond the horizon of this circumscribing sport. While our athletes in others sports may not be as marketable as cricketers or in certain cases, not as victorious, encouraging and motivating them will surely help. This is one of the issues which has been pointed out for years – especially when our hockey program dipped from being the best to being amongst the minnows. There are measures being taken and platforms being set to change this situation while further encouragement from the government and the public could boost an underachieving athlete’s morale.
PS: I am not shifting the blame to cricketers or the BCCI, but just stating the obvious here.
3. Poor infrastructure and equipment
Just to evince this, Google the uniforms sported by Indian weightlifters and compare it to those from China and South Korea. Although infrastructure and equipment could bolster performances only to a certain extent, for an athlete, it could go a long way in boosting his confidence. Our football fan base is the largest in the world yet our stadiums are in a pathetic condition. The facilities provided to our country’s best athletes aren’t even maintained nor monitored at regular intervals, thereby causing their demise in that sport. While it’s no easy feat to change this overnight , I duly feel our system can be bettered. More monetary remunerations could possibly be the key to our athletes improving their chances at an international level.
In no better way to stress this than to hear what our Olympic champion shooter, Gagang Narang stated when asked about his victory. He mentioned how the association supported him but definitely stressed that the athletes needed a lot more to reach the elite status.
4. Inadequate sports education
Our academic system is impeccably good – I was a beneficiary from it and see it as a jewel that polished my ambitions and ideals. While our children are talented academically and in fields such as engineering, computer science, and so on, our sports education is weak – despicably weak. Sports on the whole, as a subject, needs to be inculcated into a child’s mind from grassroots in such a way that he/she is able to take it up as a profession when he/she grows up. Not many of us chose to pursue a sports career.
Sports in any country doesn’t guarantee a successful career, but it can if it is teamed up with education. The idea that one can become an engineer and still achieve in sports proves to be a winning mentality – something America and Europe have achieved for ages.
5. Absence of a strong domestic set-up for other sports
This perhaps in my opinion is our biggest weakness. Cricket has the IPL where the riches are assured through mere participation in one or two tournaments. Let’s look at other sports – hockey, badminton, swimming, wrestling, tennis; are there any competitions in these sports which definitely serve as a source of inspiration in both monetary and patriotic gains? Where is the coverage? Most athletes who take up such sports have to work in other professions to survive for basic needs. If a dream crashes in a sport, the athlete is doomed. Just ask Santhi Soundarajan what it feels like.
FYI, I am not going to broadcast how “unhealthy and less-built” our athletes are. To show them down them this way is incredibly ridiculous.
