Expectedly all has gone silent. After the less than tepid performance at Paris 2024 we have that familiar & famous forgetfulness curve kick in. And that too in under a month. I don’t even think a review meeting has happened at a policy making level let alone at federation level to either discuss the debacle or plan for future.
While the Olympic medal count over the last decade or so has been higher than total medals won before that since independence it is still far from respectable for a country like India. Besides much of the achievement can be attributed to individual enterprise & less to a planned institutional program. Signature programs like Khelo India & TOPS have added some focus but much needs to be done to aid the trickle-down impact to the grassroots. Am attempting a few suggestions with the experience of my association with sport.
Policy Stability
If Union Ministers for important portfolios liked Finance & Defence can remain constant, why not Sports? Sports by its nature requires policy stability. A sportsperson plans for the long term & adheres to a strict roadmap & if policy is stable along that roadmap, it just helps in results.
Aquatics, Athletics & Gymnastics
These three disciplines are the largest medal winning categories at Olympics. If we don’t focus on these three there is no point even discussing, why we don’t get a respectable medal haul. While Athletics Federation Of India can be seen doing some work, It is anyone’s guess what the Swimming Federation Of India & Gymnastic Federation of India are doing. Would be great to know about their stellar achievements these two.
Federation Accountability.
In India every Olympic sport has a policy executing arm in its federation. While some do good work most are a political & bureaucratic dynastic cesspool. Even if no athlete for a sport is represented at Olympics the office bearers get privileged viewing seats for these events and they religiously attend. It must be incumbent on every federation to publish a 5-year roadmap of a grassroot to Olympic plan along with resource allocation & specific athlete & event calendar on their website.
States Commitment
Thankfully sports have moved from state to concurrent list aiding possibility of central programs being implemented. But most states themselves fall woefully short of their individual commitment to sport. Many get away by mere lip service in their annual budget allocating peanuts for prize money & grants rather than making any meaningful infrastructure related commitment.
State-Corporate-Federation Partnership
Large corporations like Tatas, Reliance & Adani through their foundations are already supporting sports but a focused tripartite partnership can yield magical returns. Orissa for example has been a beacon when it comes to hockey along with Hockey Federation of India. If the sports ministry can broker a tripartite partnership through an open & public call results will be guaranteed.
Defence
Our Defence Services have been doing yeoman service to sports especially in disciplines such as rowing & sailing probably because of facility access. A selection of discipline should be left to the forces with full funding backup by the sports ministry with no federation interference.
Full Overlap Plan
The event plan for LA2028 has been firmed up. There are approximately 35 disciplines with 350 medal events. The vision endeavor should be to qualify for all disciplines with a contingent size that at least exceeds the number of events. An immediate national level planning conclave should be called without delay to address a roadmap.
TOGS not just TOPS – the need of the day.
Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) is the flagship program of the sports ministry to support elite athletes but what is perhaps required is a Target Olympic “Grassroot” Scheme that aids identifying talent in organized & unorganized catchments. For the life of me I can’t imagine why we can’t get kids to qualify for gymnastic with our Yoga & Mallakhamb tradition. Or for that matter find swimmers from amongst kids in our coastal states or riparian cities.
“KREEDAPATH” like “AGNIPATH”
Perhaps there is a case for sports ministry to fashion a “KreedaPath” program on the lines of “AgniPath” by the Defence Ministry. A short-term sports enlistment program where selected young athletes are funded with an incentive-based exit lumpsum once they are done with their sporting career. A disciplined ex-sportsperson can be as valuable as a disciplined ex-serviceman to society & will go a long way in spreading a sporting culture. The application process for KreedaPath can be based on best practices adopted for AgniPath.
All the above suggestions can be implemented only if there is committed sports-policy stability at the top. We have the money & operational imperatives like infrastructure, coaches etc. will fall in place once policy direction is firm.
LA2028; India your time starts now – else another medal ignominy looms on a not-so-distant horizon!