Changing Landscape of Sports in India

Sports is a wonderful teacher! Well, it’s not me.. but the celebrated Abhinav Bindra who says this.

Abhinav Bindra, the only Olympic gold medalist India had since the 2008 Beijing Games till 6 th August 2021 (when I started writing this blog). Well, things changed on 7 th August 2021 – India created history! We have a gold for the first time in any track and field event. Congratulations Neeraj Chopra, the entire nation today celebrates you. It is the first time I am nothing but smiles while rewriting the misspoken contents of this write-up. Applause for PV Sindhu, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, and the Men’s Hockey Team. Your efforts helped India reach a medals tally of 7 for the first time in any Olympics. A salute to each and every player who represented the country in Tokyo. Reaching that level after crossing various hurdles, stepping up through each qualification criteria is in itself a humongous task. It requires hard work, commitment, and persistence not all can have. Thank you for making us proud and giving us joy while we watched you play on our TV and laptop screens. Your fellow Indians were fully charged up during this year’s Olympics. We moved along with you, cherishing the wins and feeling your pain during setbacks. Irrespective of the result, we were nothing but impressed by you. It was nice to see how so many WhatsApp statuses and FB stories focused on how well we played!

Well, some might say it aloud, others may ponder themselves but a question definitely bugs us. No doubt, it’s only once in four years when we are bothered by such thoughts, but we are! Why India still lags behind many other countries in Olympics? We may blame the government and authorities like we always do, but let’s just leave that for some other day. Let’s talk about our roles at an individual level. As we cannot forget, how bad we may tag the situation, there are many of our fellow citizens who reach that stage and bring laurels to the country. Had they also sat and cribbed about the system, then just think? When in school, I used to avoid the Sports period. While in job, I went to the gym only because my friends did! It’s only since the last two years that I realize the importance of physical fitness, whoa it took me almost 30 years for that realization. Now, let’s jump to parents and schools. Whatever the situation was earlier, the online education program has just made it worse. I know a class IV kid living in my neighborhood. He attends his classes till around 1.30-2 pm. And then works his fingers to the bone to finish his homework till about 6 pm, some with the help of parents, the others through tuitions. I once asked his mother to take him to a nearby park, to which she replies, “No no, his time would be wasted, a lot of homework is still left.” I don’t know what do I say to this – well I can say a lot, but most of my thoughts have been beautifully covered in this post. I probably wouldn’t have written this section had I read thi post earlier.

Credit where it is due! While as citizens, our share of complaints and criticism will be and should always be there. It’s time we recognize the initiatives taken in the last few years as an attempt to promote sports in the country. The initiation of the Khelo India Scheme with an aim to encourage the mass participation of youth in sports and games. The Fit India Movement that aims to include sports as a daily routine for a healthier life. The Sports Talent Search Portal to identify the best talent. The acknowledgment of the sportspersons through the National Sports Awards Scheme. The Empowered Steering Committee to prepare an action plan for Olympic Games. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme to help the potential Olympic medal winners. The Sports and Games for Persons with Disabilities Scheme, and many more. With a complete reliance on effective implementation, these efforts endeavor to bring a revolution in Indian sports.

While it’s an apt and required gesture to reward our medalists postgame, the investment in sports and sportspersons must be a constant task. This task should be endured without any discrepancy. For males and females alike, for hockey and gymnastics alike, for cities and villages alike. For its no secret that it is the Indian villages that have produced some of our sports gems, including the legendary Balbir Singh Dosanjh, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Our very grounded, Odisha Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, did set a fitting example in Olympic Games 2021. We hope the spirit continues and thrives in our entire nation, in every individual, and every family!

I’ll end this post by mentioning the CII-recommended 5 point agenda to promote sports in India and its take on sports. Education, Infrastructure, Messaging, Investments, and Responsibility – The 5s.

“Sports still doesn’t happen to be a part of our daily lives as an activity, it is seen more like an indulgence.”

Avani Raj Arora