Why is india lagging behind in olympics
Indian medal winners at Paris Olympics 2024
Manu Bhaker -Bronze - Women's 10m air pistol
Manu Bhaker & sarabjot singh - Bronze - 10m air pistol mixed
Swapnil Kusale - Bronze - Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions
Indian hockey team - Bronze
Neeraj Chopra - silver - Men’s Javelin Throw
Aman Sehrawat - Bronze - Men’s 57kg freestyle event
India has won total 6 medals ( 1 silver & 5 bronze)
Olympic Games Paris 2024 Medal tally
Despite being the top most populous country with a developing economy and robust infrastructure, India's poor performance in every game at Olympic arena. whereas the USA, France, China, Japan, and Australia got dozens of Gold, silver, and bronze medals, we are not able to get a single gold medal.
India has, during its past 104 years of Olympic journey, cumulatively won 41 medals – just thirteen more than what Michael Phelps won single-handedly. The country has won only 10 gold medals including eight in hockey. In individual category, the very first gold medal won by Abhinav Bindra in the Beijing 2008 in 10m rifle shooting. In the 1948 London Olympics, Indian hockey team won the first gold medal of country.
- India sent its second biggest contingent of 117 athletes in Paris Olympic in 2024, in return we got 6 medals (1 silver and 5 bronze medals)
- Biggest ever Olympic contingent of 124 athletes sent to Tokyo Olympics in 2020. It returned with only 7 medals (including one gold by Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra). It was placed at an abysmally low 47th rank.
- In the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Indian contingent came with only two medals – one silver and a bronze.
- In 2012 London, it bagged its best haul, six medals.
- In 2008, it got just three medals.
On the one hand, the Indian Cricket Control Board collects two-thirds of the total funds generated worldwide for this sport, on the other hand, other sports are so starved of funds that athletes have been forced to crowdsource their sporting journey. This is at a time when the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has launched ambitious plans like Khelo India, setting a goal of 50 medals – a target termed too exaggerated by many experts - for the forthcoming Tokyo event.
Many reasons like government apathy and lack of infrastructure have been ascribed to this abysmal performance. Some of the more plausible explanations are lack of funds, poor infrastructure, less exposure to international tournaments, lack of media attention and politicisation of sports administration.
Main reason of bad performance :
Lack of nutrition :
80 crore people depends on free ration provided by government. In poverty people are not able to think much about sports.
Lack of Grassroots Development :
Building a strong grassroots foundation is crucial for sustaining long-term success in international competitions like the Olympics. In India, there is a need for a more systematic and widespread approach to identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level. Sports education and training programs need to be integrated into school curriculums, providing a structured pathway for aspiring athletes to develop their skills from an early age.
Corruption and politics
India’s sports administration is dominated by politicians and bureaucrats who have a hegemony to look at, leaving sportspersons’ interests to take a secondary place.
Geographical reason :
cold climate in other countries provides more energy to players.
Lack of money
Most Indian athletes struggle to afford the necessary equipment and training. Many Indian athletes face challenges in securing consistent funding and sponsorship, which impacts their training, equipment, and overall preparation.
Absence of Sports Culture
The absence of a robust sports culture results in limited interest, sponsorship, and investment in non-cricket sports. India needs a cultural shift to prioritize and celebrate a diverse range of sports.
Insufficient infrastructure
One of the primary reasons for India's struggle in the Olympics is the lack of sports infrastructure. A few of India's best athletes claim they struggle to get the guidance, resources, and tools they require to train at a level that rivals any in the world. Many talented athletes in the country lack access to world-class training facilities, cutting-edge equipment, and experienced coaches.
Not enough international tournaments
Indian athletes in sports like judo don’t have enough chances to hone their skills by competing at the international level. India's disadvantage was that we were way behind the world competition level.
Excess importance to cricket
Cricket becomes the main sport in India and takes majority share of government funding and private-sector sponsorship.
Lack of media promotion
India’s vibrant media companies leaving behind all other sports from soccer and field hockey to kabaddi (and of course cricket) hoping to attract millions of sports fans and advertisers who want to reach them. They have not shown as much enthusiasm about the Olympics.
Comments
Post a Comment