India’s Olympic Contingent carries the expectations of a billion people. 117 athletes representing a population of 1.5 billion people across 16 disciplines. Paris is there for the taking and team India has high hopes. Despite expectations being at an all-time high, a disturbing comparison has been pointed out by sports enthusiasts. Despite having the largest population in the world, India can only produce 117 Olympic-calibre athletes. Nations such as Spain which has a comparatively smaller population can produce contingents with as many as 352 athletes. India’s eternal rival, China has a contingent of 405 athletes. Questions are being raised about India’s ability to create world-class athletes and rightly so. A nation of 1.5 billion individuals must produce more world-class athletes. This comparison has created a disturbing conspiracy about India and its sports culture.
Lack Of Culture
India produced its greatest Olympic performance in Tokyo, clinching 7 medals. Just 7 medals. In comparison, China secured 89 and the United States won 113 medals. Even Kazakhstan secured more medals than India. India’s low Olympic tally is the result of numerous factors. India’s lack of sporting culture is at the top of the list. We must admit to ourselves, that India is not a sport-loving nation, it is a cricket-loving nation. The country and the country’s sporting bodies’ hyper-fixation of cricket has cost the development of other sports. Furthermore, the lack of backing for sport in the average Indian family is another reason. India’s diet which is also extremely poor and lacks in protein has decapacitated India’s athletic potential.
Olympic Expectations
India’s failure to create a large Olympic contingent may come back to bite the country. How is India expected to compete against China and America when they have almost 4 to 5 times the athletes India does? India may have Neeraj Chopra but who else does India have who’s a real frontrunner for an Olympic medal? Doubts must be raised against India’s sporting federations and questions must be asked. To cultivate a sporting culture, the entire system needs a revamp and revolutionary changes. India needs to evolve from a cricketing nation, to a sporting nation.
