The Olympic Dream Run
Is
it the problem with the shoes? No, we had made it even without shoes in the
London Olympics in 1958. Then is it an issue with our physique? No, if not for
that, we would never have competed in major league tournaments of tennis,
hockey and wrestling which requires great physical strength and control. Then is
it the problem with poor funding? According to Sports Ministry estimates, India
has spent Rs 55.22 Crore for the 46 medal prospects in 2012 London Olympics
which means Rs 1.2 Crore per person. Not bad compared to Rs 105 Crores spend by
Great Britain (GB) taking into account the Gold Medals the Country expects from
28 of its majors. Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee President, John
Coates informed that the Rs 168 Crores spend by Australia is not enough for
their sportpersons to compete in the Olympics!! So what are we lacking? Is it
the will power, don’t ever say that. In a country where 42 percent of the
children are malnourished (Global Hunger Index 2012), around 50 percent in
poverty with less than 30 percent getting a chance ever to see the Olympics
through Television; it requires a strong will power even to exist in India.
Going
by the huge population and its gold conversion, we are the biggest sporting
disaster as per the Weighted Ranking system of at all Olympics, with 0.1 weight
medal points per million standing at 48th position overall. If you
do not take into account the 11 medals ( 8 gold medals) in field hockey, the
record is further depressing. We have individual brilliance like Gagan Narang, Saina Nehwal, Deepika Kumari etc to bring hope. If we claim that our economy is poor and is not
in a position to support sports, sports enthusiasts and analysts would prove us
wrong. See table below.
Total
Medals (blue) and Gold medals by GDP and Population (Source: www.stubborn
mule.net)
As
per New York Times 2008 Report “Much of the problem with developing Olympic champions here
seems to be rooted in the very same things that make India a perpetual also-ran
to China in economic development: poor infrastructure, entrenched political
corruption and infighting, and chaos and disorganization. Money earmarked for
Olympic training is often mysteriously sidelined, facilities for training are
in poor shape and equipment goes missing.”
If
you go by this definition of issues, then we can blame the government and the
governance system and those individuals who relatively make sportsmen run for
their money! If China could turn the tables, from a sole swimmer in the
Helsinki Games, 1952 to 100 medals in the Beijing Olympics as host and best
country; where does India stand? One can argue to the near autocratic system in
China giving them rigorous training for their Success, but we can’t afford to
mention democratic countries like US or Britain who have been the top
performing countries in Olympic history.
The
problem, however, more or less lies in the cultural context in which sports
originated in India; with an average Indian psyche viewing it as a mere
entertainment than a profession which demands full attention of both body and
mind. The concept of livelihood associated with sports has been disenchanted
for the majority of Indian’s owing to the larger ignorance of sports and
absence of sporting culture. Indian’s tend to idolize individuals. Sachin is
the perfect example of a culture which believes that individuals stars can do
anything which gods can only expected to do. This idolatory gives these stars a
non-human status with people expecting them to do miracles. “We expect our team
to surprise everyone in the Olympics”, is the usual comments which comes from
an average sports enthusiast of Indian teams chances of winning in the
Olympics; just like winning a lottery competition.
Solving the
debate
What
is required is a concerted effort from all stakeholders to ‘make the change’
than expect someone to change it. While corruption, disorganization and chaos
is an administrative affair which the government has a huge role to play,
accepting sports and people willing to work for sports as professionals will
work in favour of the change mentioned above.
Governance: At the governance level, the role
of Sports Minister needs to be revisited and should be confined to a monitoring
role than a noisy neighbor who pokes into all issues. The Sports Federations
has to be structurally disbanded as they act more as agents of corruption ruled
by people totally unrelated to sports. The Sport Authorities need to be given
autonomy in matters related to its functioning with less possible interference
from other quarters. While we can blame BCCI for profiteering, but we should
learn from BCCI for the way in which they conduct events, recruit talents and
work systematically; which can be considered to be tremendous within the Indian
state of affairs. We should have similar autonomous bodies for Football,
Shooting, Archery and other events also, without belittling any specific
sporting event. Corruption can be curtailed through other effective means, than
not giving them freedom to act and work.
Funding: Private participation and
funding needs to be encouraged, giving them due benefit and credit, essential
to get them interested. This exists in all countries and which all major sports
merchandise companies like Nike and Puma eye for. The government shall support
individuals who are not able to afford getting foreign coaches and
participating in international events, but shall not dictate who should be the
foreign coach and which all events the concerned individual should participate.
Sports
Infrastructure:
Infrastructure building should be long term and not confined to a sporting
event such as commonwealth or national games. Scope of floating Infrastructure
bonds and scope of PPP on specific projects shall be explored. While attempts
like Lottery for sports floated by Kerala government is a welcome step, it requires
appropriate marketing and funding strategy. Special Taxes and Cess can be
levied to raise money specifically for sports instead of taking from the common
pool. Loan prioritization shall be given for sports academies and for
sportsmen/women for various loans; which will give a boost to their confidence
and assist them in long term planning. Salaries require to be stipulated in
accordance to the credentials of individuals or the team involved. Appropriate
scholarships and other benefits shall be given on continuous manner without
delay.
“Impossible
is nothing”, same stands true for all the steps to be taken, which is difficult
and strenuous but definitely worthy. A strong will coupled with a positive
attitude will help improve the state of affairs. It’s a matter of support and
belief that drives every sportsmen who cherishes each moment of his career, to
hear the national anthem at the Olympics or. As the Olympics motto says
‘faster, higher and stronger’, the spirit of each Indian Sportsmen shall strive
to reach that level. With the right attitude and mindset, we can bring in glory
and create history.
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