A Nation of Billions, Yet Gold Eludes: The Paradox of Indian Sports

An Article By Ananya Mehta

The Olympics is a global platform for countries to show excellence in various sports. It is a coming together of over 10,000 athletes of diverse backgrounds, races, religions etc. It acts as a celebration of inclusion. The 2024 Paris olympics saw a multitude of iconic moments whether that be Mondo Duplantis breaking his pole vault record for the 9 th time,French swimmer  Leon Marchand winning 4 olympic gold medals or the Turkish shooter who seemed to have caught everyone's eye.

India is a country with a population of over 1.4 billion people, and yet ranked 71st with a total of 6 medals. Despite the country’s vast population, India has struggled to make its mark on the world stage in many sporting disciplines. The 2024 Paris Olympics, much like several previous editions, once again fired debate on India's rather poor performance. The inability to secure even a single gold medal in certain instances raises the inevitable question: how does a country with such a massive talent pool consistently fall so short of its potential?

I'd like to study the reasons behind this failure and find a way to improve going forward. I can trace this sporting struggle back to most Indian households, where emphasis is placed on academics. In the greater scheme of things, sports and hobbies are looked down upon as distractions when the ultimate aim is to make the child an engineer, a doctor, or a lawyer. Many young sporting dreams get crushed in the pressure of exams, careers, and parents. Many a times, sport becomes an afterthought or an extracurricular activity, and physical education at schools becomes secondary in priority.

A critical factor contributing to India’s underperformance is that sports infrastructure facilities are woefully inadequate in most parts of the country. Only a few metropolitan cities have well-maintained facilities, for training in a wide variety of sports. Olympic sports such as athletics, gymnastics, swimming, and field events are sidelined due to lack of funding, proper facilities, and equipment. There is no representation of these sports, you never hear a child in India going, “I want to be a pole vaulter when I grow up “. No school has programs or facilities or coaches to teach these sports, which are so greatly highlighted in the Olympics. 

According to a 2021 report, India's public spending on sports is less than 0.1% of its GDP, which is significantly lower compared to countries like the U.S. and China that dominate international competitions. Even the funds that are allocated are often mismanaged or absorbed by corruption, leaving athletes to fend for themselves.

Probably the most overt obstacle towards the development of any other sport in India is the cricket frenzy that has engulfed the nation. Cricket as a game has picked up momentum in the country due to the success of IPL and victories in international matches won by its national team. The lion's share of all media attention, corporate sponsorships, and public interest goes to cricket, and the other sports are left vying for the crumbs that fall off a cricketer's table.There is nothing intrinsically wrong with cricket succeeding, but the overarching emphasis on that one sport has insinuated a culture wherein other disciplines are considered subsidiary to it. This certainly will not encourage any other athletes in other disciplines, nor does it make many potential sponsors or investors take a closer look at anything non-cricketing.

I do also want to add that its not all dark and gloomy in the world of Indian sporting. There have been initiatives like ‘Khelo India’ that are coming up and encourage sports at a young age. Government-run bodies like the Sports Authority of India (SAI) tasked with nurturing athletic talent, have also been taking a step forward in building facilities and encouraging participation. India has been shining brightly in its performance in the Paralympics, which is a commendable feet. There is a need for a conscious shift in attitude towards sports, it's not secondary and should not be delegated to extra curricular. Government as well as private institutions need to provide funding and sport for India to be able to increase the number of its olympic athletes as well as be able to compete with spotting giants like the US and China.