Can India ever be a dominant force at Olympics?

No. We Are 100 Years Behind China And US

Jwala Gutta

Champions are not produced overnight. It ne­eds years of hard work, commitment, pa­ssion and planning for one to emerge as a champion athlete. Once in four years, a few months before the Olympics, we make a hue and cry for medals at the world’s biggest event. There is a post-mortem after the event and then everything is forgotten. There should be a change in the mindset of the people and the administrators. We don’t learn from past mistakes.

If China has become one of the top three count­ries in the world, it is because of their commitment to sports. We talk of population and economy but when China is able to do it, why not India? That ke­eps puzzling me a lot. I think it will take 100 years for us to go anywhere near China.

In India’s case, it is the individual talent that has brought glory. We don’t really have a sporting culture. That is very important.

Unless we develop this, we cannot become a powerhouse in sports like the Chinese or the Am­e­rica­ns. To be honest, I ha­­ve been a great admirer of China as far as sports is concerned. They have a vis­ion. They ha­ve planning. They have the facilities and, finally, the drive to become a top sporting country.

For example, if one Lin Dan (badminton men’s si­n­­­gles world number 1) ret­i­res, then there are 100 Lin Dans waiting to enter the wo­­r­ld stage. In India, we do­n’t have a system that pr­­omotes sports or sportspersons. Where are the facilities? Where is the competition? These things are vital for the growth of sports in any country.

In India a sportsperson struggles from Day One. He or she has to think twice to make sports his or her career. There are many hurdles on the road to  becoming a successful sportsperson.

Appreciation from the government and the fe­derations is crucial to a sportsperson’s growth. Although there are perceptible changes in this regard, there are very few exposure trips.

The government should focus more on sports, particularly on inf­rastructure. We have to construct more stadia for sportspersons to train. The government has to come forward and prepare a blueprint for the development of sports, tap talent and groom children from the age of six or seven as the Chinese do.

As told to N Jagannath Das

Yes. Scene changing rapidly

V Baskaran

Iwas fortunate to represent the country and be part of the gold-medal winning hockey team at Moscow in 1980. But for ye­ars, be it at funct­ions or get-to­gethers, when I was referred to as the man who last captained a team to a gold medal for India at the Olympics, I did not enjoy the compliment. The  re­ason was that India lagged behind most co­untries in sports.

Only if parents beli­e­ve th­at their wards have a future in sports will our sporting cult­u­re im­prove. To be a force at the Oly­m­­p­ics, we need to start fo­cus­ing at the grassroot level and identify talented youngsters. What a promising athlete needs to succeed, apart from the right kind of training and coaching, is international ex­posure at the right time. For results to come, the athlete must believe that he has it in him to be a success at the top level. Thankfully, the government and various agencies associated with sports such as SAI are proactive, and co­rporates are lending supp­ort.

Unlike in the past, government agencies are spending money on athletes and their preparation for the Olympics. Even th­­ose such as Leander Pa­es, Mahesh Bhupa­thi, who earn more th­an most Indian athl­e­tes, receive funding.

This shows that the government means business and recognises the importance of sports.

If sports federatio­ns become more professional in their appr­oach, and sporting culture grows in a big way in the country, India can be a force to reckon with at the Olympics in a decade or so.

As told to Ashok Venugopal

No. Till we only rely on hope

Ashish Ballal

My answer would be yes if we drastically overhauled our sports syst­em. But we continue to grope in the dark, hoping the system will throw up a champ now and then.

Take the example of Japan. They plan to win the fo­otball World Cup ar­ound 2050 or so with footballers who are yet to be born. They have already un­dertaken scientific research so that the Japanese babies born hereon are taller, stronger and sturdier, which will make them better placed to be good footballers.

Imagine the kind of planning involved.

A complete change in our att­i­tude and approach to sports is needed if we are to become a sp­orting power. In India, we do have tall and strong men and women who can excel — provided they are given the right support, training etc. Unfortun­ately, our knowledge of sports scien­ce and sports psychology is virtually non-existent, and, for some, sports has become a money-making exercise. While aiming to be a force in sports,  we must have national pride in mind. From the grassroots to the highest levels, we must focus on identifying talent and providing the right support.

Good coaches are very important. Indian or foreign, we can only learn from their exp­eriences and knowledge. As such, a proper coaching mechanism must be in place in all disciplines.

Maybe, 2030 or 2040 would be a probable period for us to chalk out our road map. It will require immense vision and commitment but we can, if we work towards it.

As told to SS Shreekumar  

Yes. But there is still a long way to go

Rajiv Bhatia

Compared to other countries, awareness of sports came to India at least 20 years late. For instance, there was no shooting range in India till 1982, when we staged the 1982 Asian Games. That tells us a story. Fortunately, all this seems to have changed in the past few years.

We may not have taken giant steps, but there have been small strides towards achieving excellence in sports.

After the 2004 Athens Games, where Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won silver, and Abhinav Bindra made history with gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, we have among the 11 shooters participating in London, world-class performers in Abhinav Bi­ndra, Gagan Narang and Ronjan Sodhi. We also have definite medal hopes in archery, boxing and badminton.

There has been progress for sure. The government is showing more and more interest in sports and sanctioning more funds. The corporate sector is coming forward with aid.

There are many areas we still have to work on but, today, we find sp­o­r­tspersons, other than cricketers, finding sponso­rs. Facilities are far better than what they us­ed to be a few years ago.

Foreign exposure trips, crucial to the success of sp­ortspersons in major events such as the World Champi­onships or Olympics, are in­creasingly frequent.

For India to really develop a sporting culture requires a long process and more professionalism.

But there are positive signs — for example, parents are encouraging their children  to take up sports. Then, small cities and towns — unfamiliar with modern sports facilities for years — are now far better off and capable of producing talented youngsters. Seeing this, it is important to have sports as a subject in schools so that the interest in sports grow.

If we have a rich haul of medals at the London Olympics, interest in sports is bound to grow. With more medal-winning heroes, inspired youngsters can spark a sports revolution in the country.

No, we can’t match China and the US as powerhouses in sports in the near future. But yes, India can aspire to be a force to reckon with at the Asian Games. The next step would be to target the Olympic Games. There is still a long way to go but we can certainly be hopeful of a better future.

As told to N Jagannath Das