India has just celebrated National Sports Day. It is observed every year on August 29 to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, who took Indian hockey to a greater level under his leadership, as well as celebrate sports. Ironically, the sport that Chand excelled in has been overshadowed by cricket in India for years. However, this season is apt for celebrating sports as many sportspersons like Hima Das, Dutee Chand, PV Sindhu, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and Soroikhaibam Bindyarani Devi among others brought laurels to the nation in the last few months. The achievements of our sportspersons deserve more respect because of the fact that most of them don’t enjoy the facilities that their counterparts in other countries get. They have reached where are today because of their sheer hard work, sweat and determination.
Several individuals have excelled in various disciplines of sports despite lack of support system in the country but the poor performance in the world’s biggest sporting event, Olympics despite having a population of more than a billion people tells that India might not have invested enough in sports. The big question is why India fails in the international arena? Where have all the talks of improving facilities and providing support to the athletes gone? Going by the present trend, it won’t come as a surprise if the country fumbles once again in the Tokyo Olympics next year because the government of India has not gone beyond giving praises and instant gratification to medal winners through cash rewards. The government has failed to understand that help and support during preparation is more important than felicitation. If India wants to excel in athletics and increase medal tally in the Olympics and other international sporting events, it should invest in finding talents from across the country and nurture them. Most of the athletes who made India proud are from poor families. They need support system -- financial and good facility -- if we want them to beat the best in the world. But it’s a shame that many of them had to struggle all by themselves to compete at the national and international levels and then be forgotten so quickly after winning medals for the country.
While athletes from other states are finding hard to get out of the shadow of cricket, Nagaland has failed to produce quality sportspersons over the last few decades. The state has not produced many Olympians since Dr T Ao led a barefoot Indian football team in the 1948 London Olympics. It is legit to blame poor facility in the state, but then, there are many who succeed against all odds. Football is the most popular sport in the state and hordes of tournaments are being organised at various levels throughout the year, yet there are not many Naga players who can compete at the national level. This indicates that sporting culture in the state could be flawed. It takes more than good facility to excel in any sport. Hard work, discipline, perseverance, focus and endurance are some of the ideals that successful sportspersons have in common. Sportspersons from the state too should imbibe these ideals or secrets to success.
