TOKYO OLYMPICS - ANOTHER INDIAN FIASCO

India's achievement in the just concluded Tokyo Olympics is 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze, placing 48th in the medals list. Final outcome of the efforts of 139 crores people. America with about 1/4 population in comparison with ours reached the top of the medal tally with 39 Gold, 41 Silver and 33 Bronze making a total of 113 medals. China with a population of about 145 crores came second on the list with 38 Gold 32 Silver and 18 Bronze making the total to 88. Japan stands 3rd in the list with 58 medals; 27 Gold, 14 Silver and 17 Bronze. The population of Japan is about 13 crores. Italy with a population of over 6 crores could bag 40 medals including 10 Gold. A tiny nation like New Zealand with a population below 50 lakhs approximately could bag 20 medals including 7 Gold and came 13th in the list. At this rate of 20 medals per 50 lakhs population, India could have won '5,560' medals!

Why Indians are not able to take more models in such international competitions? The answer is simple, we talk more and act less. We have sports ministry in the centre and in almost all states with wide network throughout the country. The budget of 2020 has allocation ₹2826.92 crores for sports. Roughly about 10 to 15 crores average per annum is provided by each state on sports. Hence it cannot be financial constraints that pulls us behind other countries in the sports arena.

SAI is the apex body for sports in India. SAI with it's headquarters in New Delhi, has 2 Sports Academic Institutions and 11 Regional Sports Centres across the country. They also have s good number of stadiums in New Delhi and other parts of the country. The parent agency of SAI is Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. This apex body has an annual budget of about ₹500 crores. What is the outcome of all these? Seven Olympic medals in 4 years hard work! Can we assume that Americans, the Chinese and the Japanese are physically superior than Indians? It cannot be so, we are all more or less the same. To sum up the matter, it can be said that when the winning countries give result oriented training, we give name sake training.

We must, therefore, focus on our training. We must now target the Paris Olympics. SAI may immediately arrange a national talent test for all sports disciplines in Olympics. The sixth position of Tokyo Olympics should be the selection mark.  If anyone could be selected they can be given 4 years tough and most professional training to bring them minimum to the 4th position mark of Tokyo Olympics. Those below 4th position mark should not be selected for the next event. This is one course of action and the other is a long term preparation. Select physically fit about thousand children below the age of 10 with the consent of their parents. They may be gradually fit into various disciplines and give proper training with set targets. They should not be sent to schools outside. Let the government may draw an exclusive syllabus for them upto class 12 and manage the studies by experienced teachers within the SAI campus. The children should be provided best food as needed and necessary medical assistance.

Let us do the best possible to bring India among the top 10 in the Paris Olympics.

K V George