The gold-medal winning formula for Indian sports has been expounded. Abhinav Bindra did that when his finger pressed the trigger to hit the bull’s-eye at the Beijing Olympics.
Till then, 61 years after Independence and after 29 Olympic Games spanning a total of 108 years, India did not have an individual gold medal winner, the score card showing an individual silver medal winner, three bronze medal winners and, of course, eight team gold medals in men’s hockey.
And then there were the stories of how India missed three bronze medals: 1956 in Melbourne, when India lost to Bulgaria in the football battle for bronze; 1960 in Rome, when Milkha Singh missed a medal in the 400m by the proverbial whisker; and 1984 in Los Angeles, when PT Usha missed a medal by a hundredth of a second in the 400m hurdles.
A country of a billion people and no individual gold medal winner at the Olympics? Well, Bindra has indeed given that tale a refreshing twist and, in doing so, implored the nation’s sporting fraternity to follow suit. Bindra’s secret has been ‘three dimensional’ — desire, determination and dedication.
Thanks to Bindra’s golden 10-metre rifle shooting effort, the endless wait, or so it seemed, for gold has finally ended. Bindra is bound to inspire a generation of prospective gold, silver and bronze medal winners down the years.
Yes, cash rewards and awards, jobs and promotions are promised to anyone winning medals at major events, but for a country where academics has always been of paramount importance and sports comes much later, it is no surprise that it has taken this long for an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. Also, with sports requiring manifold physical, mental and personal sacrifices, and offering limited financial rewards, it is not surprising that a gold medal was been hard to come by.
What then ails Indian sport? How is it that some have risen and conquered great heights despite the lack of a proper system? Or is that the case?
MP Ganesh, former Indian hockey captain and former executive director, Sports Authority of India (SAI), feels that India lacks a sports culture. “Without a sports culture, nothing is possible. More importantly, there has to be a widespread system in place. Without a system, no sportsperson can come up. I don’t think anyone can ever say that they came up on their own,” says Ganesh. “Take the case of Bindra. His family put a system in place. His father built a world-class shooting range at home. That is the system through which Bindra came up. Some may say that Bindra is lucky to have a rich father, but there are so many rich fathers in India. How many have built shooting ranges for their sons or daughters to practise? Even PT Usha came up through the sports school system. Everyone needs a some support system. We need more such systems to produce more champions.”
Vimal Kumar, a former international badminton player who has coached the national team and is now the chief coach at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, echoes Ganesh’s views. “We must have a proper system in place. What we are now doing is copying others. That will not work. Countries like China succeed because the government takes care of everything. We should either have a club-based system as in Europe or a college-based system like in the US. We have to involve various agencies, like the government, public and private enterprises, universities, etc. We must adopt what is best for our country with all its peculiar problems.
What’s happenning now is that everything is being controlled by the federation. I am not blaming them but, due to this, growth has been stiffled. They must broad-base all activity in their sport and provide scope for all to grow. That way we will become far more powerful as a sporting nation,” says Vimal, who also points out that Indians do not become professionals soon enough. “By the time Indians turn professional, they are already 21 or 22. This must happen at the age of 15 or 16. Only then can a sportsperson mature and perform longer at the highest level,” he adds.
Ashwini Nachappa, an Indian sprinter of the 1980s, maintains that a lot of things need to be changed. “A good support system must be established. The government, the federations, everyone must chip in. We have a lot of people going to big events like the Olympics but coming back with little to show. We have to learn from other countries. We must have a goal and execute our plans accordingly. China is the best example of this. China was determined to do well athe Olympics; today, not only is it the host, but also the leader of the medals table. But one must realise that China began preparing for this 15 to 20 years ago,” elaborates the 1988 Seoul Olympian.
AV Jayaprakash, a former cricketer and international umpire, is of the view that Indian sports lack professionalism. “We are amateurs. That is why our progress is at a snail’s pace. Often, we are neither amateurs nor pros and that creates problems of its own. We have to change our approach and become professionals for sports to grow faster. Also, we must ensure that the best represent the country. Often, that is not the case. This proves that our approach is not professional. When there is politicking in selection matters, undeserving sportspersons go on to represent the country. Many of our problems are related to this disturbing phenomenon. This should not happen,”he says.
Again, infrastructure needs to be improved on a priority basis. As Jayaprakash says, “There is no point in building stadiums and preparing grounds and not maintaining them. Infrastructure, or the lack of it, is often a major reason for our poor performances.” Despite the odds, many Indians — like Bindra — have been counted among the best in the world. But then, India needs more such champions.
Many things must be put in place, many things must be changed for more champions to emerge, and for our medals tally at the Olympics to improve. But thanks to Bindra, India’s ‘golden age’ has begun and there is reason to dream.
Indians have awareness of sports but no involvement. We sit back and watch others play rather than playing ourselves. There must be more involvement. Quality can only emerge from quantity.
— MP Ganesh, former Indian hockey captain
Countries like China succeed because the government takes care of everything. We should either have a club-based system as in Europe or a college-based system like in the US.
— Vimal Kumar, former badminton player
We must have a goal and execute our plans accordingly. China leads the medals table at the Olympics. But one must realise that China began preparing for this 15 to 20 years ago.
— Ashwini Nachappa, former sprinter
We must ensure that the best represent the country. Often, that is not the case. This proves that we are not professional. Many of our problems are related to this disturbing phenomenon.
— AV Jayaprakash, former cricketer & umpire
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