The rise of Indian sports from a university's perspective
In an era where results define success, debates are inevitable—especially in the backdrop of the upcoming Paris Olympics and India’s recent performances across various sports.
The Paris Olympics serve as a testament to the American college sports system, which has consistently produced gold-winning athletes. The Olympic podium is getting younger with each edition. At just 14 years and 86 days old, Arisa Trew became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in history, triumphing in the women’s park skateboarding event.
But what about India? At 14, most Indian kids are glued to their mobile screens, while parents feel reassured knowing their children are at home and within eyesight. Unfortunately, many schools—despite advocating for sports—have yet to make it a compulsory subject or build the infrastructure required to nurture talent.
The result? Endless lamenting on social media, seminars, and a tendency to blame everyone but ourselves. Do we have a proper sporting university setup in India to counter this?
Not entirely, but a beacon of hope stands out in the crowd. – Woxsen University, Hyderabad, South India’s leading private university, is taking the first steps toward revolutionizing Indian sports. With a sprawling 65-acre sports complex—the largest in Asia—Woxsen is leading the charge.
The university’s vision is clear: to create champions, instill discipline, and drive a collective dream of seeing more Indians on the Olympic podium, waving the Tricolour with pride. Today, there may be just one success story, but tomorrow, there will be many more.
Woxsen’s state-of-the-art sports infrastructure is truly remarkable. The campus boasts a FIFA-certified football field with a 9-lane athletic track, a floodlit cricket ground, an 8-court indoor badminton arena, three lifestyle gyms, an indoor spin bike studio, and multiple courts for futsal, volleyball, tennis, pickleball, basketball, and sand volleyball. It doesn’t stop there—there are squash courts, a table tennis facility, a pool and billiards arena, and much more. And this is just Phase 1, with further developments already in the pipeline.
Top-quality Indian and international coaches—some of whom have trained national teams—complement the infrastructure. This isn’t a foreign initiative; it’s a private Indian university striving to rival, and perhaps surpass, the American sports system.
For a country with a population of 1.4 billion, such facilities are long overdue. India’s hearts have yearned for platforms to hone their sporting talent—promises have been made, but delivery remains sparse.
Let’s step back for a moment.
From Independence in 1947 to 2010, India was content being a participant on the global stage. Competing with sportsmanship and “closing the gap” was our goal, but that gap often grew wider despite our best efforts. Sports was never a priority.
But times are changing. Today, Indian students and athletes have access to world-class facilities right here in India, within an Indian university. The choice is simple: embrace this opportunity and train to win—or let it slip away.
The path is clear. The future is ours to shape.