Most of you reading the headline will get upset, and some might exhibit uncontrollable anger. After all, how dare I have the nerve to challenge India and its Government when it comes to the Olympics and poor performances. So let me say this, control your anger, passion, and pride. All of that will not change or affect the medal winning chances for India, now or in the future. What is required is for someone to call it as it is, and as you know, that is one thing I am good at. India is a failure when it comes to international sporting achievements. Oh please, don’t lecture me about Cricket.
Tokyo 2020 showed us that China, a nation not too dissimilar to India, collected 38 Gold, 32 Silver, 18 Bronze and finished 2nd. Contrast this with India, 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze and finishing 48th.
We have a world class champion like Neeraj who walked into the arena like a lion, declaring he was there to win. And win he did. The whole nation celebrated, and as usual everyone got onto the bandwagon lest they got left out.
We then heard excuses that India is still developing and in time it will surely succeed. That no stone will be left unturned in the pursuit of excellence and world class achievements. Humbug I say humbug. This utter nonsense has been peddled for more than three decades. Yet in that time China has gone on to become a top five nation.
I have heard people say that there is insufficient incentive for Indian competitors to do well. Really! Well let me put the matter straight. India gives INR 75 Lakh per Gold Medal, INR 40 Lakh for Silver and INR 25 Lakh for Bronze. Contrast this with what the US that gives $37,500, $22,500, and $15,000 for winning gold, silver and bronze respectively. That means India gives more than 2.5 times than the US, and still India ends up as losers! Why?
There is one major difference between nations that win huge, and those that lose heavily. Investment. Investment, Investment.
India spends only 1/3rd of what we spend on sports in the UK. Contrast the difference in the size of the two nations and you realise that the little India spends lacks focus and all too often is spread thinly. Add to that the elephant in the room, corruption. I wonder how much of that 1/3rd goes to the competitors who really need the help?
So sometimes it is better to hold the mirror to a nation that talks big but delivers zeros where it matters. In a nation of 1.3 billion people, if it cannot find 200 sports people of world class quality, what message is it sending out?
It is good to see PM Modi tweeting his support to the competitors. My message to PM Modiji, you are the custodian of the very future of Bharat. You have taken some very bold action to remedy the ills of the past, for example, A370, Citizenship Act, Demonetization, Ram Mandir and bringing in the use of technology at the grassroots. It’s time India considers international events that can enhance and empower every Indian. It’s time to do a total revamp of sports and how it is supported in India. It’s time to increase the budget by a factor of 10. In the next 20 years, let the target be for India to finish in the top 5 in the world. And with your zeal and focus, let’s make it happen. India cannot continue as a nation of zeros.
