The 2024 Paris Olympics were held in the French capital city of Italy from July to August, with participation from over 200 countries. India has been competing in the Olympics for over a century now, but even in the last 104 years, the country has not won as many medals as countries like America,
China, and Japan have bagged in a single year. Last year, India was ranked 71st after winning one silver and five bronze medals. Medallists include Neeraj Chopra, Manu Bhaker, Sarabjit Singh, Swapnil Kusale, Aman Sehrawat, and the India hockey team. India’s Olympic performance has long been underwhelming, especially considering its vast population.
With only 41 medals to date, the country’s first gold came in 2008 through shooter Abhinav Bindra. Despite competing in the Summer Olympics since 1920, India’s medal tally remained low for decades, winning just one bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Recent improvements saw India achieve its highest haul of seven medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Still, issues like inadequate infrastructure, lack of grassroots development, and limited financial support continue to hinder the nation’s potential on the global stage. Former Ranji player and sports journalist Chandra Shekhar Luthra suggested that in other better performing countries, sports are deeply integrated in children’s lives from an early age, primarily through school programs, which is not the case in India. Luthra further added that while schemes such as the Special Area Games (SAG) 1985 were introduced in India so that youth from the underserved section and marginalised communities could be trained in sports, the government did not pay attention to the domestic circumstances of individuals.
The Sports Authority of India’s Special Area Games (SAG) was launched in 1986 under Rajiv Gandhi’s government to train athletes from tribal, rural, hilly, and coastal regions who are considered to exhibit natural physical aptitude for sporting events. The program, initiated by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, was suspended in 1993 and resumed in 2014. “The government did not take into account the domestic situation of the players. Family members of the players got them married or handed over the responsibility of the family to them.
Bogged down by these responsibilities, many sports persons had to step away from sports,” Luthra added. Pointing out the widespread apathy towards sports, India’s former track and field athlete Ashvini Nachappa said that there is a “lack of awareness towards sports, especially in urban India, and we cannot blame only the government for this.”
Nachappa claims that the government has taken many initiatives to increase awareness and promote sports in the last decade. “No government has done this much in the last 60 years. Owing to this reason, the mentality of the majority of Indian parents towards sports has also changed. However, the government needs to ensure more reforms and accountability.” Nachappa added.
Muhammad Moonis, a sports lecturer at Jamia Millia Islamia, argued that the stark difference in the medal tally between India and China goes beyond just financial investment and is, in fact, rooted in tradition. “China does well in events they have already established themselves in like gymnastics, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton, diving, swimming, etc.
These are sports that almost certainly have decent to excellent grassroots participation across China,” he said.
“However, in India, when most people think of sports, they think of cricket. How many people knew about Mary Kom and Milkha Singh even before their biopic was made?” Moonis added.
He further notes that financial impediments prevent people from pursuing other sports. “There are a lot of talented athletes in India, but many of them can’t make ends meet, which prevents them from reaching their full potential in their chosen sports at an early stage.”
A similar observation was made by Luthra, who claims that the government of India is not able to provide employment opportunities to sportsmen. He said that despite a 5% reservation for sports in government jobs, the situation on the ground has not changed. “Those who bring medals are celebrated, but the ones who fail to deliver medals are not adequately supported or given incentive to continue their pursuit of the sport. Players give up on their studies for the sport, but if the government will not look after them, then who will they go to for help?” Luthra said.
While the country faces systemic challenges like poor infrastructure, lack of grassroots programs, and limited financial support, Moonis also notes that we need to improve the sports culture in India. “Sports should be a way of life in India like it is in Europe or America. Parents should encourage children to excel in sports and choose it as a career. Only then will we be able to make a name in sports other than cricket.”
