Tokyo 2020 shows that Indian sports would work much better if Netat and Babus stayed away

The most enduring memory of the 2021 Indian Olympics would be our golden son Panipat, Neeraj Chopra, standing on the top step of the podium in a medal ceremony in a fiery affair and holding on to the solemn flowers as the Indian tricolor raised the positions of our national anthem under the Tokyo sky.

Should the seven Tokyo Medals of the 1.39 billion countries celebrate or seriously consider the next Paris Olympics in three years?

India was ranked 47th and medals 33rd. Small countries like Qatar and Kosovo each won two golds and big guns like the United States, China and Russia maintained their strong share in the gold harvest.

India returned with seven medals. However, the government and sports federations held large-scale celebrations of losses and close to the podium, calling it “Best performance”. Enjoying mediocrity only makes citizens content and lowers the bar. India sent a large number. Some competitors were swept away at the time of the first tide. Others, like shooters, were worse. Table tennis was an acute disappointment for rinsing and archery. We also earned a lot more in boxing and wrestling.

Of those who have achieved, Neeraj has awesome talent and a dedicated coach which constantly complains openly and alerts sports authorities as well as corporate financiers, diet and foreign education. Sindhus ’talent comes from an athletic family that coaches take advantage of, Indian and Korean. Northeast athletes have shown talent and real sand, and Haryana is a sports country where more than half of all our Olympic medals come from the state.

Where else do the medals come from in addition to these catchment areas? There are signs of a recovery in hockey, but with fierce competition, both men and women are required to do much more in terms of training and matches played abroad.

Undoubtedly, the country has an abundance of raw gifts in various fields like archery, wrestling, boxing, hockey, etc. But is raw talent enough to win international meetings? It takes years to hone your skills, increase your endurance, increase your match temperatures, embrace modern techniques with coaching, and most importantly, keep your nerves in the final moments of a match. Many Indians falter in the final stages when they have worked so well in the beginning.

How do other countries do it? Great Britain winning one gold in the 90s has now risen to 22. Income from the lottery transferred to sports focusing on specific areas such as sailing. Brazil’s strength is in beach volleyball, while Cuba is crazy about boxing. South Korean archers have financial support from Hyundai to the latest appliances and equipment and performed brilliantly in Tokyo.

Economist, discusses the victory share of Olympic medals by different nations, lists GDP (gross domestic product) as the strongest factor. While the United States and Russia competed for the top spot during the Cold War, China is now the second largest economy, approaching and almost surpassing the United States in Tokyo. India is the fifth largest economy, but its medal shipments are poor, with one medal equivalent worth more than $ 3.5 billion in GDP.

Strategies to improve the position of sport in India

India introduced TOPS ie Objective Olympic Podium system in 2014, designed by renowned sports analyst Amrit Mathur, who chose the right outlook and gave them full financial and other support. Unfortunately, in seven years, it has not produced the desired results with two medals in Rio and seven in Tokyo.

A fundamental reform of India’s sports structure should begin with the dissolution of the Ministry of Sports itself. You don’t even need a sports minister. Indian sports dominate net and babus after independence. The bureaucracy of sport has slowed its growth and left it under layers of dusty files, programs and programs. A ministry headed by a full secretary unnecessarily leads to money for establishment and wasteful administrative expenses without a share. Second Babu leads the Indian Sports Authority and between these two non-athletes the files are happily repeated for their compositions.

Sport needs a focused approach. One body called the Indian Sports Corporation is the right way forward. It should be led by a CEO selected from experts across India. The Government may transfer funds directly, which may be audited annually by the Special Committee. The company’s board of directors should have seven members consisting of industrialists and Olympic gold / silver medalists. The CEO should be given full independence to lead the company and systems such as TOPs.

There should be a fresh selection of games and sectors from the medal search angle. States and companies could then be targeted to focus on them. Odisha has already done well in hockey.

Sport is a state issue, so what should their role be? It is the enablers, not the interveners. The best example to emulate is the Prime Minister of Odisha, whose contribution to the revival of hockey has been enormous. Sundargarh is the new headquarters of Indian hockey. The World Cup was held in the state in 2018 and the second will be held in 2023. The plan is to have an artificial grass stadium in each area of ​​Odisha.

Will we finally return to Nobel Prize winner Paul Samuelson’s famous gun or butter poster? India spends 0.01% of GDP on sport. In a country where 80 million people receive food aid, can more be expected of sport? The increase in every budget, no matter how big, is like a drop in the ocean. The crying need for infrastructure can only be met with the help of companies and private bodies. In the United States and other countries, stadiums are being built and are jointly owned by the government and companies.

Excellence in sport can only be achieved by detecting and nurturing raw talent by providing equipment, training, the latest skills and financial security. Cricket has it all, and it leverages raw talent from the suburbs. It’s a sports culture at the school level and in local clubs where you can find future champions. Here, states can be enabling factors by providing infrastructure to clubs and associations, but remaining in control. If net and babus Stay away, the professionals will certainly do much better and bring India to the world sports map to complement the rise of the great powers.

Yashovardhan Azad is the chairman of Deepstrat; former Central Commissioner and IPS official serving as Director of Youth and Sports, Madhya Pradesh; Member of the International Security Advisory Group for the Atlanta Olympics and leader of the GOI Group in Pakistan in 2004 after organizing a tour of the Indian Cricket Group to Pakistan after 15 years.