S.Kannan in Hangzhou
A total of 100 medals at the Asian Games? You got to be kidding! We heard this phrase quite a few times before the Indian teams left for Hangzhou. On a cold Saturday night, when even the Rain Gods seemed be smiling on India, the medal tally stood at an unbelievable 107.
For India to reap a rich harvest and pick up 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals was out of the world. If today the nation is rejoicing and from President Droupadi Murmu to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire Union Cabinet in New Delhi is celebrating, this is such a proud moment.
The hype had been built, just that those who do not believe in hope were pessimistic. Quite often we have heard people say, India is not a sporting nation. No way, you can never say that again. If you are going to ask why we are talking of leaders of the nation celebrating the medals, the reason is simple. Minus full support from the Government of India and corporates doing their bit, sport at home will be dead.
People complained of babus not doing work and not pushing files. So much has changed in the last few years that all the elite athletes get the best of facilities, exposure, coaches and training abroad. This has been so pronounced as the medal winners have spoken of it repeatedly in Hangzhou. It was not meant to be a doctored “Thank You” note from the athletes but a genuine appreciation of how people in India plus the agencies, Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India have worked in tandem.
Two interviews from two important people, PT Usha, the Indian Olympic Association President and Anju Bobby George, Vice President of the Athletics Federation of India had summed up Indian sports so succinctly this week. Usha was honest when she said the government was doing its best and the IOA was there to oversee. Anju was frank and forthright when she said Indian track and field stars are no longer trying to win medals in Asia. Her view was India is now knocking for much more in the world level.
Where do you start from and where do you end in this Asian Games campaign, where things looked so sad when three wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh could not leave for China due to visa glitches. It led to an outrage from the Indian Government as a result of which Sports Minister Anurag Thakur decided not to travel to Hangzhou.
That was a great diplomatic move as India is a big player today in global geo politics. And by winning a record number of medals this time, a message has been sent that India are a force to reckon with in the sporting arena as well. The Indian government has spent huge sums of money. It is easy to say the annual budget has been cut and so on. Reality is if you look at Asia and how the athletes are given the best of facilities, India does not lag behind.
This is the beginning which had to be made. If former athletes say have faith and hope for more medals in the Paris Olympics, do not be pessimistic. Yes, there is no way India will win so many medals in Paris but even an aggregate of at least 10 medals will not be bleak.
In the good old days, winning one medal was big. From Leander Paes’s bronze in 1996 to Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in 2000 and Col RVS Rathore’s in Athens 2004, one medal was all India could garner. The big shift happened in 2008 Bejing where Abhinav Bindra, Sushil and VIjender Singh showed India could dare and dream. Of course, London 2012 and Tokyo in 2021 were proof the Indian athletes had started to believe in their abilities.
Sample the number of champions India produced in Hangzhou and the disciplines in which BHARAT won medals. Such variety was a delight, with kabaddi on Sunday winning two gold medals so refreshing. Chess, badminton, cricket, archery, name it, the medals were coming in. The trend had been set in motion by the rowers and then the shooters. Track and field scorched Hangzhou, with Neeraj Chopra and the gang turning in sensational results.
Yes, there are a few disciplines like men’s boxing, weightlifting, tennis and women’s badminton not coming up to the mark. That does not mean we lose hope. India has today reached a stage where new champions are born, new athletes are winning medals. Some champions come from such humble rural backgrounds, it is proof there is talent all over.
One aspect which also needs to be mentioned is how National Sports Federations in India has jolted the officials. Gone are the days when federations were run like fiefdoms. There has been a change. The National Sports Code 2011 is in full effect, office bearers are aware they are accountable. And even in in the case of a few federations not doing an honest job like the Equestrian Federation of India, the Sports Ministry and SAI have stepped in.
A few decades ago, former president of the Badminton Association of India, Late Fazil Ahmed would call the SAI as Stadium Authority of India. No, today the SAI is very much involved hands on at every stage. The Khelo India Games have been a success and soon the National Games will be held in Goa.
Like Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, India can today dream big in sports. Former boss of the IOA and now acting head of the Olympic Council of Asia, Raja Randhir Singh, has said India can host the Asian Games again. India is dreaming of hosting the Olympics in 2036, why not have an Asian Games before that?
Surely, we will not only be good hosts but also win plenty of medals.