This week's article is on a very popular subject of discussion and a bit unexpected from you; but the revelation that you were once a budding sports reporter, explained the choice of subject. It was great to hear you mention Khajan Singh, perhaps the best Indian swimmer in the pool. In fact the main reason for India finishing 4th is our absence of medals in the pool. Swimming requires investment in facilities and coaching. It is not a competitive sport for the poor. Almost all swimmers in the American Swimming team are white; while their athletes are mostly colored. Japan would win the maximum medals in Asian games before China overtook them, as the Japanese swimmers ruled the pool and China with a State sponsored program is now a serious competitor in the Olympic Swimming pool. Other than no medals in the pool, India did poorly in wrestling, boxing and weightlifting; which is a source of worry, as we have won medals in these 3 disciplines, in the Olympics. The wrestling fiasco, preceded by the ugly sit in protests at Jantar Mantar, was clearly reflected in the performance of the wrestlers, one of them being a protest leader, who must be regretting his participation due to his below par performance. Otherwise our performance in shooting, erased the memory of the Tokyo Olympics and gave hope for Paris Olympics. Remarkable performances in track and field, all racquet sports and archery were very encouraging. It was not a surprise to win gold medals in cricket, kabaddi and the men's hockey gold. Some medals in equestrian, sailing, rowing and martial art games were the surprise wins. This government will definitely take action to build sports infrastructure in order to ensure more medals in future events. Important for the image of the nation. Jai Hind
Thank you for your detailed comments and apologies for my delayed response.
Agree with you that while we should celebrate the successes there is need to put the spotlight on zero presence in swimming and below par performance in wrestling, weightlifting. The latter is hopefully just a question of having a bad day in the office.
I believe India needs to adapt its very successful strategy in badminton, converting India from an also-ran into a global powerhouse, across other sports. People like Gopi Chand have created such a fantastic pool of talent.
Most of the field sports, unlike cricket, are very competitive (as almost every country in the world participates) and has limited longevity. Consequently, the risks are extremely high for an athlete--nowhere commensurate to the rewards. This is where the government has to create a safety net or compensation package to partly underwrite the risks of competing in athletics.
In the case of swimming India just hasn't invested in the resources. And again like athletics it is very competitive.
Hopefully our sports authorities are undertaking a similar post mortem.
It's really a great moment for India which fulfilled their mission of iss baar-100 paar. It's no small feat that we convincingly crossed the 100 mark despite some dubious decisions. It's heartening that it's an achievement across sports. This is surely not a flash in the pan. It's here to stay. Now that a new benchmark has been set, henceforth efforts will be made to improve upon it. We know for a fact that an aim of 100 medals is achievable so naturally efforts will be made to improve upon it. Like you have pointed out, many factors are responsible. Sponsorship by the corporate sector has made a world of difference. Along with government schemes which has ensured early spotting of talent and plenty of competitions at various levels. You are absolutely right when you say that taking up sports as a career wasn't a viable option because it didn't guarantee a steady job or security in the future. There have been anguishing instances of erstwhile sports heroes having to sell their medals to make ends meet. It was their two minutes of glory but didn't ensure a source of livelihood. Which parent would want their child to struggle all their lives? Now this entire scenario has changed and sports is perhaps a more lucrative option than ever. Earlier we were mocked by others and every Indian used to lament the fact that we had such a huge population but a paltry number of medals. Many countries had more gold medals than our combined total! Now is the time for sweet revenge.
Indeed it is a proud moment for all Indians. Frankly, Indian sport has turned a corner. Endowed with the world's largest cohort of youth, we can only expect much more from our sports people. Overcoming the gender barrier too has been a big deal in this makeover.
An excellent and comprehensive article covering every aspect.Indias performance at the Asian games was unprecedented.The " winning mind set "of our athletes was clearly visible.They approached the competition with confidence to Win and not just to Compete.
The khelo India Scheme, Target Olympic Podium Scheme , foreign exposures , improvement in training, diet etc have created a sports Ecosystem in the country.Talent identification and providing constant and timely support at the grassroots and midlevel is the key to our success.Lets hope that we are able to continue this momentum
Agree with you about the new found confidence among our athletes. Parul Chaudhury's daring come from behind win is a great example. And, like the revamped Padma awards, our medal winners tell us such wonderful stories about a New India.
The government programmes no doubt helped. It is also a fact though that today talent is rewarded in kind or monetarily--incentivising our athletes to go the extra mile. This is unprecedented, where even a Sunil Gavaskar, G R Vishwanath, Eknath Solkar had to struggle against odds to survive--not thrive.
Excellent write up as usual from Anil. However, I will look forward to have ore details on the following lines- 1. How many medals under different events are there in Asian Games? 2- Out of the total, in how many events we are participating? 3- Out of those events, in how many events we got at least any medal? 4- How many events we did not get any medal? And why? And what are our plans for the future for these events? 5- China, south Korea and Japan win massive numbers of medals. May be we are not participating in all of these events. But we must catch up with them on the events in which we participate and do not win any medals. Gold or silver or bronze, any medal will do for the next Asian Games. Chinese economy may be 5 times ours but Chinese medal tally need not be so!! 6- Modi Govt is doing well on sport front and credit must go to the Sports Ministry and the players for this wonderful performance. And we can now win greater heights in future. Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai!! Jai Hind!! Jai Bharat!!
Thank you for your thoughts and questions. I can revert with answers in a few of them. The rest are beyond my pay grade as it were.
Actually this change has been in the making since the turn of the Millennium. And now it is gathering momentum with growing scrutiny from the union government. The problem is that sports is a state subject and needs state patronage. Here, what Odisha has pulled off is magnificent; credit for the success of Indian hockey in recent years should go to the state government. It is a perfect role model for both the centre and states to follow.
"..sports is a state subject and needs state patronage.". Didn't know this. And so a big shout out to Odisha. Haryana is also providing a lot push for sports, I believe, especially wrestling, weight lifting etc. Hope other states up the ante too.
This week's article is on a very popular subject of discussion and a bit unexpected from you; but the revelation that you were once a budding sports reporter, explained the choice of subject. It was great to hear you mention Khajan Singh, perhaps the best Indian swimmer in the pool. In fact the main reason for India finishing 4th is our absence of medals in the pool. Swimming requires investment in facilities and coaching. It is not a competitive sport for the poor. Almost all swimmers in the American Swimming team are white; while their athletes are mostly colored. Japan would win the maximum medals in Asian games before China overtook them, as the Japanese swimmers ruled the pool and China with a State sponsored program is now a serious competitor in the Olympic Swimming pool. Other than no medals in the pool, India did poorly in wrestling, boxing and weightlifting; which is a source of worry, as we have won medals in these 3 disciplines, in the Olympics. The wrestling fiasco, preceded by the ugly sit in protests at Jantar Mantar, was clearly reflected in the performance of the wrestlers, one of them being a protest leader, who must be regretting his participation due to his below par performance. Otherwise our performance in shooting, erased the memory of the Tokyo Olympics and gave hope for Paris Olympics. Remarkable performances in track and field, all racquet sports and archery were very encouraging. It was not a surprise to win gold medals in cricket, kabaddi and the men's hockey gold. Some medals in equestrian, sailing, rowing and martial art games were the surprise wins. This government will definitely take action to build sports infrastructure in order to ensure more medals in future events. Important for the image of the nation. Jai Hind
Dear Gautam,
Thank you for your detailed comments and apologies for my delayed response.
Agree with you that while we should celebrate the successes there is need to put the spotlight on zero presence in swimming and below par performance in wrestling, weightlifting. The latter is hopefully just a question of having a bad day in the office.
I believe India needs to adapt its very successful strategy in badminton, converting India from an also-ran into a global powerhouse, across other sports. People like Gopi Chand have created such a fantastic pool of talent.
Most of the field sports, unlike cricket, are very competitive (as almost every country in the world participates) and has limited longevity. Consequently, the risks are extremely high for an athlete--nowhere commensurate to the rewards. This is where the government has to create a safety net or compensation package to partly underwrite the risks of competing in athletics.
In the case of swimming India just hasn't invested in the resources. And again like athletics it is very competitive.
Hopefully our sports authorities are undertaking a similar post mortem.
Jai Hind to you too Gautam.
Hi Anil
Cute write up😊
Best wishes
Thank you Balesh.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil
It's really a great moment for India which fulfilled their mission of iss baar-100 paar. It's no small feat that we convincingly crossed the 100 mark despite some dubious decisions. It's heartening that it's an achievement across sports. This is surely not a flash in the pan. It's here to stay. Now that a new benchmark has been set, henceforth efforts will be made to improve upon it. We know for a fact that an aim of 100 medals is achievable so naturally efforts will be made to improve upon it. Like you have pointed out, many factors are responsible. Sponsorship by the corporate sector has made a world of difference. Along with government schemes which has ensured early spotting of talent and plenty of competitions at various levels. You are absolutely right when you say that taking up sports as a career wasn't a viable option because it didn't guarantee a steady job or security in the future. There have been anguishing instances of erstwhile sports heroes having to sell their medals to make ends meet. It was their two minutes of glory but didn't ensure a source of livelihood. Which parent would want their child to struggle all their lives? Now this entire scenario has changed and sports is perhaps a more lucrative option than ever. Earlier we were mocked by others and every Indian used to lament the fact that we had such a huge population but a paltry number of medals. Many countries had more gold medals than our combined total! Now is the time for sweet revenge.
Dear Ranjini,
Thank you for your thoughts.
Indeed it is a proud moment for all Indians. Frankly, Indian sport has turned a corner. Endowed with the world's largest cohort of youth, we can only expect much more from our sports people. Overcoming the gender barrier too has been a big deal in this makeover.
Look forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil,
An excellent and comprehensive article covering every aspect.Indias performance at the Asian games was unprecedented.The " winning mind set "of our athletes was clearly visible.They approached the competition with confidence to Win and not just to Compete.
The khelo India Scheme, Target Olympic Podium Scheme , foreign exposures , improvement in training, diet etc have created a sports Ecosystem in the country.Talent identification and providing constant and timely support at the grassroots and midlevel is the key to our success.Lets hope that we are able to continue this momentum
At the the Paris Olympic Games next year !!
Dear Vandana,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Agree with you about the new found confidence among our athletes. Parul Chaudhury's daring come from behind win is a great example. And, like the revamped Padma awards, our medal winners tell us such wonderful stories about a New India.
The government programmes no doubt helped. It is also a fact though that today talent is rewarded in kind or monetarily--incentivising our athletes to go the extra mile. This is unprecedented, where even a Sunil Gavaskar, G R Vishwanath, Eknath Solkar had to struggle against odds to survive--not thrive.
Looking forward to the Paris Olympics.
Best
Anil
Excellent write up as usual from Anil. However, I will look forward to have ore details on the following lines- 1. How many medals under different events are there in Asian Games? 2- Out of the total, in how many events we are participating? 3- Out of those events, in how many events we got at least any medal? 4- How many events we did not get any medal? And why? And what are our plans for the future for these events? 5- China, south Korea and Japan win massive numbers of medals. May be we are not participating in all of these events. But we must catch up with them on the events in which we participate and do not win any medals. Gold or silver or bronze, any medal will do for the next Asian Games. Chinese economy may be 5 times ours but Chinese medal tally need not be so!! 6- Modi Govt is doing well on sport front and credit must go to the Sports Ministry and the players for this wonderful performance. And we can now win greater heights in future. Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai!! Jai Hind!! Jai Bharat!!
Just checked. Total medals on offer were 1,392.
Dear Surendra,
Thank you for your thoughts and questions. I can revert with answers in a few of them. The rest are beyond my pay grade as it were.
Actually this change has been in the making since the turn of the Millennium. And now it is gathering momentum with growing scrutiny from the union government. The problem is that sports is a state subject and needs state patronage. Here, what Odisha has pulled off is magnificent; credit for the success of Indian hockey in recent years should go to the state government. It is a perfect role model for both the centre and states to follow.
Best
Anil
"..sports is a state subject and needs state patronage.". Didn't know this. And so a big shout out to Odisha. Haryana is also providing a lot push for sports, I believe, especially wrestling, weight lifting etc. Hope other states up the ante too.