The success of the Indian contingent in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics highlights the fact that the country has many talented sportspersons. Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Kamalpreet Kaur or Ravi Kumar Dahiya are not the products of any organised and systematic training programme. Rather, many of the 127 athletes of the Indian squad spent days without food during their childhood. Yet, they have crossed all the hurdles by sheer determination and grit. This is why their success stories are sweeter, as they have not only beaten their opponents in the sporting arena, but also overcome issues like poverty, lack of infrastructure and proper coaching facilities. Kudos to all the members of the Indian Olympic contingent including the support staff for their remarkable achievements.
As events like Asian Games and Commonwealth Games will be held soon, India with its present bunch of athletes will hopefully emerge as a strong sporting nation amongst the countries that will participate in these two multi-sport events. But will India be able to improve its performance in future events such as the Paris Olympics in 2024 or in other international events? Will India be able to cement its position amongst the top sporting nations of the world? It is expected that the performances of our sportspersons in the Olympics will encourage more youths to take up sports in the coming days. But the million dollar question is — do we have proper infrastructure to make these budding athletes world champions?
There is no gainsaying that every year we lose more talented people than we produce due to lack of infrastructure. So, in order to keep the tri-coloured flag flying high, the first step now is providing infrastructure facilities for upcoming athletes. At present, sporting facilities in the country are only available in big metropolitan cities, which keep athletes away from their homes for extended periods. All the sportspersons, who have done well in the Olympics stayed away from their homes for years. But according to sports scientists this is not the right approach to produce a champion. They suggest that athletes should be trained in a place near their homes, so that they can wholeheartedly concentrate on training.
Along with infrastructure, focus must be put on spotting young talents from the grass roots level. Talent is abundant in the interiors of our country but only a few can make a mark on the world stage as no scouts have spotted their talents. In this regard, former sports persons should be given the responsibility to identify talented individuals. It should also be ensured that the budding talents are trained by qualified coaches. For the initial years, foreign expertise should be hired to train the athletes as our coaches currently lack the modern experience required. The corporate sector should also step in to ensure adequate sponsorships for budding athletes, so that sports persons can concentrate solely on sports and put all other worries aside. Surely, India has the potential to emerge as a sporting nation if talented sportspersons are fittingly trained and guided.
