- The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics brought back to focus on anything and everything to do with sports, and rightly so. The Indian contingent came back not only with their heads held high but also with the largest medal hauls of seven riding on the back of a historical gold clinching javelin throw by the golden boy Neeraj Chopra. Notably, one of the most momentous takeaways from the Olympics should be the spectacular display by both our men’s and women’s hockey teams. It was heartening to witness the men’s hockey team winning a bronze medal after almost a generational lull of 41 years. The women’s hockey team too came tantalizingly close to winning a bronze medal before conceding defeat but not before putting up a spirited display that won hearts all around.
PC: Nandan Kamath
- For a country of a billion-plus population, winning a mere seven medals is minuscule but what portends more than a glimmer of hope is the huge opportunities available for the willing athletes not afraid of spending hours, days, and years on the field to hone their skills. The Union Government and various state governments alongside private sponsors have made definite contributions in terms of investing money on the prospective medal aspirants as well as provisioning of international standard infrastructure replete with competition to perform at the highest levels. These measures augur well for the sporting fortunes of the country. However, the moot point to ponder over here is whether we are culturally disposed to succeed in sports.
- Unfortunately, the answer is a big no since we as a nation do not fit into the rigmarole, sacrifices, killer instinct, and fiercely competitive adrenaline rush usually identified with several small countries making it big at international sporting events by embracing the mentioned characteristic traits. Except for cricket, which is strictly speaking not a globally popular sport save for few countries following the same, Indian sporting exploits on the firmament are severely restricted. Of course, hockey had brought previous glories but did fade away considerably despite being the national sport. It might as well be resurrected courtesy of fabulous achievements of late. We usually settle for little sparks here and there vis-à-vis badminton, boxing, wrestling, and weightlifting. But we do celebrate a big time when historic achievements occur sporadically.
PC: Press Trust of India
- Against this backdrop, the legendary cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar urging the countrymen to become sports playing nation from a sports-loving nation makes imminent sense if we have to produce quality sportspersons right from the grassroots levels. Laying tremendous emphasis on academics by relegating sports discipline as an afterthought activity is a norm seen across the country. This fundamentally unyielding attitude towards sports should undergo a complete transition where equal if not more importance is accorded to physical activities too. As Sachin rightly exhorted, if not anything else, we should embrace any of the sporting disciplines wholeheartedly to at least ensure we keep ourselves fit by such active indulgences.
- It is understood that not every professional sports personality will eventually leave behind an indelible mark in the history books. However, there is no harm in making sincere efforts at developing a culture that is inherently blessed with ensuring a healthy body and mind for the overall well-being of the nation itself. Parents have a defining role in showing the way to their wards by encouraging children to take up one or the other sports. Likewise, the sports authorities should leave no stone unturned in providing suitable infrastructure to complement the enthusiasm of the wannabe champions. Who knows, there might be a few more Neeraj Chopra’s or Usain Bolts emerging from the hinterlands in the distant future!
