The 2024 Paris Olympics arguably broke more hearts than espouse moments of elation for many. India could only bring six medals. It was particularly shocking as it was an Olympics where nations with far fewer resources, exceeded expectations.
India is often referred to as the sleeping giant in any discipline of sports – yet much is or has ever been done that would resemble even in the slightest a wake-up call. We might be one of the largest economies, top-3 even, but why is China bringing in 40 gold medals from Paris 24 whilst our all-time gold tally barely reaches double digits? A diamond in the rough is almost always going to be rough; in the same vein, India, with an abundant talent pool, has to start scouting and nourishing these gems at a very young age, or else you’re just going to be left with wasted potential and a whole lot of “what ifs”.
It was a stark reminder when, back in 2017, former sports minister, Rajvardhan Singh Rathore, remarked in the Parliament that whilst China spends about six rupees per day per capita on sports, we spend about three paise, taking into account the census of 2011.
India spends 1.13 per cent of its GDP on sports, which in absolute numbers comes to around $4.07 billion, which is about 9 times less than that of China, which comes to approximately $36 billion. Even if we look at annual numbers, China greatly dwarfs us. As per the 2023 data, China spent more than $3 billion compared to India’s meager $412 million. When you look at the numbers, it makes sense why China has accumulated 303 gold medals in its history compared to us, who’re barely touching double digits.
China has established a proper governance body to streamline its sporting activities, which it calls GAS. It helps them manage and plan their operations in a systematic manner that is almost absent from most Indian sporting federations, often led by politicians with no clue about sporting activities. Indian federations like AIFF and the IOA have either faced bans from international sporting bodies like FIFA or have been threatened with the possibility, due to irregular governance, malpractice, and external interjection. The plight of sports and our athletes appears very grim with these incompetent sporting bodies at the helm.
“My parents, like most Indian parents, found sports to be a rather unpredictable and unstable field marred by the ever-looming risk of a career-ending injury or an uncertain life post-retirement, as the most government offers you if you don’t make it big, so to say bring an Olympic medal home, is a job that of a T.C. There aren’t enough safeguards provided by the government for athletes to have a stable career post-retirement and to incentivize them to pursue sports. My parents, too, despite being from a sportingly rich area, pushed me towards studies due to these uncertainties.”
“Resources, despite me being from a relatively big city, were always a problem. We didn’t even have a synthetic track for athletes up until two years ago. I was fortunate enough to be able to afford the equipment, but many of my peers sometimes had to resort to training with below-par equipment, which did them no favors. And that is the plight of the more “popular” sports; if you want to be a swimmer or a gymnast, the academies are far and few in between, and even so, only for those who are already good enough, and team sports are marred with corruption.”
The above statements are by Arjun, formerly an athlete from Haryana, who chose to pursue his studies for a more stable career path.
How far have we really come since the late great KD Jadhav won India’s first Olympic medal in 1952? Our athletes do not have proper equipment to train with, nor have they particularly provided enough quality safeguards in case of failure or post-retirement. Sports like football are marred with corruption on the grassroots, with age fraud and nepotism in the selection process. The government’s lack of care for our athletes has resulted in a culture where sports as a career has almost derogatory connotations. That is no exaggeration. Many Indian households view it as something done as a last resort, for those who don’t have better, more academic talents. The volatile and uncertain nature that looms over sports in our country deters these parents from sending their kids to academies even if they have the talent to make it as a professional. We should not be surprised in the least by our performances on the international stage if we ourselves choose to ignore the abundance of talent around us. How often is it that in schools, the supposed slot for games is taken away from students?
There’s no point to being sad or angry if you only care to watch and support these athletes once every four years. That is not going to take us anywhere, nor boost our medal tally – be it at the Olympic games or the Asian Games. The biggest tragedy in the Indian sporting scene is that one loves to take pride when an Indian brings home some silverware but would not want their kids to idolize or play like those athletes. Until this almost derogatory outlook on sports vanishes, nothing is going to change anytime soon.
Featured Images Credits: Associated Press
Yash Raj