The Olympics is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event in the world. It involves players from all around the globe representing more than 200 countries. The Olympics qualifications in itself are big events, the athletes work really hard and try to make a place in the Olympics finals and then fight with their full sweat and glory to carve their names in the list of Olympic Medalists. They carry dreams and expectations of millions from their home country and look to play at their best in the main event.
For a big country like India, the Olympic Games have always ended on a disappointing note. The journey of our country started in 1900 with only one athlete participating in Paris. However, our first team was sent to Antwerp in Belgium in the year 1920. We have participated in every Olympics since then. During this run, we have only won a mere total of 28 medals which include 9 gold medals, 7 silver and 12 bronze out of which only 17 are individual medals.
The brightest part of our Olympics history has been our Hockey Team which used to dominate in the games back then and won the gold medal for a record six times in a row starting from 1928. In total, our hockey team has won a record eight gold medals. However, India has only managed to win one individual gold medal, which was bagged in 2008. Abhinav Bindra scripted history when he won the medal in a shooting event in Beijing.
After a series of disappointing performances, the Indian Government has tried to take charge to improve the condition of the sports infrastructure in the country. They have created a list of players from various events who are the potential medal winners and tried to give them the best facility possible. They want India to emerge as one of the superpowers in the sporting world. They have planned to get into the Top-10 of the medal table by 2028.
The Sports Minister of India, Mr Kiren Rijiju has assured that India has started working on its mission of 2028. He said that the mission is all about putting up a great performance at the 2028 Olympics and the goal of the Indian Team will be to break through the Top-10 in the medal tally.
The target that our Sports Minister talks about may look like a distant dream to many but it can be a realistic target if we work upon it properly. To have an analysis on what it takes to be in the top 10 of the medal tally, we need to assess a hypothetical situation. We need to analyse what can be the possible targets that we need to look into. We even need to know which events will fetch us medals and then have a look at their current scenario and situation.
Looking at the medal table of the last few events, one can come to the conclusion that the standing looks dominated by only three to four nations at the top. They go on to win 20+ gold medals and present their strong performance in front of the world. The countries that we often see at the top are the United States, China, Great Britain and Russia. As we move down the table, we encounter many countries with some good performances, winning medals at a regular interval in the games. For a top 10 finish, your country needs to win at least 25 medals which should include at least 10 gold ones. For India, a country that has constantly finished below 50 should look to chase the target of countries like Italy, South Korea, Japan and France.
Hence, I will do a small analysis of our strengths, where we should focus to fetch maximum medals. I have shortlisted these events keeping in mind the quality and quantity of players we have in the event, plus the recent developments in the game and a bit of past and present performances of the same.
1. Boxing
Boxing is a sport which does not carry a high level of fan following in our country. However, Indian Boxers have been able to win regular medals at the Commonwealth Games, World Boxing Championship and Asian Games. India’s boxing performance in the Olympics has not been that appreciable but they have won two bronze medals in the event. Vijender Singh bagged it in 2008 while MC Mary Kom found the podium in 2012.
However, India’s boxing future looks to be on the brighter side. In the last two years, India has altogether won 15 medals in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Boxing Championship. We have players like Amit Panghal, Gaurav Solanki and Manish Kaushik who are the young prospects of our boxing team. They have won medals at regular intervals and made us proud. We even have players like Mary Kom and Vikas Krishnan who will help the team with their experience. Players like Manju Rani, Naman Tanwar and Lovlina Borgohain will grow in the course of time and hopefully win medals for us.
2. Badminton
We all had a heartbreak when PV Sindhu lost to Carolina Marine in the finals at the Rio Olympics. However, Indian Badminton has emerged to a new level in the last few years. Indian shuttlers have performed brilliantly and have regularly won Super Series Medals. With the emergence of the franchise-based league in India, the local players have been able to gain experience. There are many players who are coming up in the circuit and are looking as the future superstars. Premier Badminton League has been able to draw international attention and made people in our country follow the sport.
PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikant and Saina Nehwal are regular winners and have constantly been ranked amongst top-10 of the BWF Rankings. India even emerged as the best nation in the badminton event winning 2 gold medals and 3 silver medals at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. It becomes important that these players play with consistency and help the young ones to gain experience. India even has a very experienced coaching staff that will help the team to get forward. With two medals in the last two Olympic Games, expectations from the Badminton team will be a big one.
3. Wrestling
Wrestling in India is considered as one of the oldest sports and has a decent fan following in some of the belts as well. In the Olympics, Indian wrestlers have won 5 medals in total. Our brightest star is definitely Sushil Kumar who has won a silver medal and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games and 2008 Beijing Games respectively. It is also important to mention here that the first individual Olympic medal of Independent India was won in this sport only. KD Jadhav won a bronze medal at 1952 Olympics. India has been a consistent performer in the wrestling events at the Commonwealth Games even emerging as the best nation at the Gold Coast in the same. However, their performances at the Asian Games and World Wrestling Championship have been a hot and cold one.
Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia will be leading our respective teams in the coming years. They have won Gold Medals at the Commonwealth as well as the Asian Games in 2018 whereas finished third at the World Wrestling Championship in the same year. They are young but experienced. Sumit Malik and Sakshi Malik who has even won a bronze medal in Rio will even look to pull up their socks and perform consistently.
Pro Wrestling League was started in 2015. It has helped players to garner experience and rise to new levels. The league can be a big success if we see a player or two winning medals at the Olympics.
4. Shooting
Shooting has always been an important sport for India at any multi-nation event. The Indian Shooting Team has 4 medals at the Olympics including the only individual Olympic Gold. India has done a good job at the Commonwealth Games and the World Shooting Championship in 2018.
The team still consists of experienced players like Jitu Rai, Gagan Narang and Tejaswini Sawanat who can act as a mentor for many young shooters in the country. We even have players like Apurvi Chandela and Heena Sandhu along with the likes of Manu Bhanker and Anish Bhanwala who will look to continue the bright start of their career. Looking after the performances in the past two years, we can definitely expect a medal or two from our shooters.
5. Hockey
We all know about the rich history of our national game in the Olympics. India still stands as the best nation in the event. The Indian Hockey Team had always been a powerhouse of the sport. They used to dominate the Hockey World. However, things weren’t looking good after the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. Their performance declined and the team was no longer a competitor for the title.
However, the Indian Team continued to win medals at the Asian Games. A team was needed to be built so that India could again compete for the Championships and Gold Medals. The men’s team’s performance in recent years has not been an excellent one but rather a satisfactory one, winning a bronze medal at the Asian Games in 2018. They have even finished as the runners up at the Champions Trophy on the last two occasions.
Talking about the women’s team, they have never been a superpower in the game but their recent performances give us hope of a brighter future. In the recent developments, the team has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and even won the silver medal at the Asian Games in 2018.
Both teams are young and fresh and will gain experience in the coming years. With the amount of talent we have, Hockey can add two medals to our tally. The decisions of the federation need to be sustainable and always be in favour of the players. India has even hosted a couple of multi-national tournaments which shows India is taking a step forward. Hockey India League attracts players from all over the world and can be one of the pillars of development.
Other sporting events which India has potential to finish on the Podium, going by the past performances and the current Trends includes Archery, Table Tennis, Gymnastics, Weight Lifting and some areas of Athletics, if properly worked upon.
We have the talent plus the government has assured resources. It becomes important for our sporting federations to be a little serious about our performances and players. Our players need to be protected and trained in the best way possible. The Ministry of Sports has also a major part to play. Regular funds need to be provided to the National and State Associations for the development of their infrastructure. A proper scouting system can be developed which will help us to search for talents and build a better core. It becomes important every player in every event is properly looked after. An event like Khelo India which is a commendable step needs to be promoted at a large scale so that it covers the maximum of our country’s population. The National Games and other individual national events have to be conducted with proper guideline and discipline. We need to take these events seriously and look at it as a warm-up before a mega event.
We just need to tick some boxes and we can break through the Top-10 of the Olympics Medal tally. We need to work upon it and just wait and watch. The day is not far when we will be a Sporting Superpower.
- Kshitij
Still now we have reached in a high position it is only because of the hardwork of the players. They are not only participating to get a medal but rather than that they want to bring some development to the country.
ReplyDeleteNow the coaches have already started to give training to the young talents. The coaches will take their young players to another countries to get the players more tricks and also experience. If the players follow these steps they can surely achieve it in 2028, eight years is more enough to get practice and it is not impossible. The government have to give more support to the players with good policies. With this i feel that by 2028 we should be able to capture some medals in the olumpics.