TThe Paris Olympics just concluded with India securing six medals – one silver and five bronze – to place 71 in the medal tally. The country’s performance raises many questions about the need for a sports culture. Was India’s performance at the Olympics a result of a lack of sporting culture outside of cricket? What else can we do? AB Subbaiah and Tejaswin Shankar discuss the question in the conversation moderated by Uthra Ganesan. Edited quote:
How do you compare India’s performance with other countries?
Tejaswin Shankar: There is greater visibility of our athletes. I don’t know if it’s because the broadcasters decided to cover Indian sports more than in previous years or because we could send more athletes to the Games this time. But there are more people in blue shirts and it’s good to see. At some events, it was really fun to see some of our performances. It’s really sad that we lost a medal by a mustache there. In some other events, India’s performance has been disappointing.
Dr. Subbaiah, many people say cricket has grown exponentially, while other sports have not grown to that extent in India. What do you think? We don’t see good enough results in other sports.
AB Subbaiah: Yes, other Indian sports are not making the necessary changes faster. In 1996 (Atlanta), Leander Paes won the first individual bronze medal since 1952 at the Olympics. The big one. Now, we win 7-8 Olympic medals in different sports. This is happening because we are starting to identify younger talent and give them support. It’s not enough at all, but it has happened. The infrastructure and sports science is better than it is today.
Tejaswin Shankar: As you say, results matter. Winning a medal is our goal and all our efforts are put into it. From a sports ecosystem point of view, I think we have come a long way since the London Olympics (2012) or the Rio Olympics (2016). There is a long way to go, however. People say, look at how the US has so many medals, look at the GDP, population, etc. But we also have to remember that they (US) have more than 100 years (sports history). During the time of Adolf Hitler, (American athlete) Jesse Owens won many Olympic gold medals. So, history is also important. On the other hand, India has funded a lot of sports only in the last 8-10 years.
It is good to be critical of our performance because it fuels the hunger in our athletes and also pushes the administrators to do better. After the London Olympics, everyone was happy because they won 6 medals. This time, we won again 6, but people have been very critical. That’s a sign of progress. At the same time, we need to humble ourselves and not compare ourselves to China or the US.
Do you agree that we are a sports nation that wakes up sometimes and demands the results of other sports?
Tejaswin Shankar: If we were a one-sport nation, no one would care or fund any other sport except cricket. So, obviously we don’t. But yes, cricket gets more attention, maybe because people like it. Even in the US, track and field doesn’t get the same attention as, say, the NBA (National Basketball Association).
There is less public awareness of other sports. For example, badminton is probably one of the most popular sports after cricket in India. People talk a lot about it. We have heroes like PV Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap, and Saina Nehwal. But people still do not understand the basic rules of the game. When they start demanding results, it becomes a challenge for athletes because they are not used to criticism or even such attention (when the Games are on). When he played in the Games and finished fourth, people were surprised and revealed all his biodata. But more people need to be interested and involved in the sport outside of the Olympic cycle.
AB Subbaiah: We are not a sporting nation. We have a large population and many young people; some people can urge to take up sports. If we support them by providing good infrastructure, finance, nutrition, and scientific support staff, we can at least be in the top six or seven countries. Khelo India is a good concept because we have the game at the grass root level, and we can identify really talented people. We must continue to nurture them for at least a few more years. Government programs where you do not need to worry about funding, but it is important for the system to open professionals. Also, players can be produced through private academies.
This time, we can have four or five more medals if we have a good support staff.
Should we build a culture where people follow sports year-round?
Tejaswin Shankar: If you love sports, it’s probably not because of the results of the Olympics or the star athletes who participate in the sport. Take an example from the US The reason they love sports is not because they have Michael Phelps, but because when kids in Grade 8 or 9 play soccer, the whole town comes to watch. A Michael Phelps or LeBron James did not walk around the field, just a bunch of children. Passion for sports goes beyond passion for watching certain athletes.
In India, when more parents and school curriculum allow children to play and play sports, we will have more fun as a general population, there will be a higher chance that some of those fun people will take that fun to the next level, and some kids will become superstars. . The culture is not from big players, but from small institutions. Such a culture can also help people to be healthy.
Also, there is no genetic pool, X is stronger than Y. If that were the case, many countries would not get medals.
What do you think cricket did right and other sports didn’t between 1983 and now? India won the Olympic gold in 1980 in hockey and the Cricket World Cup in 1983. Then cricket moved in a different direction.
AB Subbaiah: The base is made for cricket. Former players are used to train even club teams. Infrastructure is provided in every district. We don’t put in as much effort as in other sports. We do senior, junior or sub-junior nationals in hockey but there is no proper selection committee. Earlier, people used to make last minute cuts. We lost 30 years from 1980 to 2010 because we didn’t revolutionize hockey. Even if we did badly, we never thought we needed to change the system or bring people (coaches and staff) from Holland, Germany, or Australia. While hockey requires a different level of fitness, we have to do it. We trained hard, but we never gave importance to recovery.
The government spends a lot of money on our athletes today, but the perception is that our success is despite the system, not because of it. How can we change this?
AB Subbaiah: Once the players enter the Indian camp, they get the best facilities. But you should get this when you enter the Under-14 or Under-15 category. Bengaluru is a big city, but there is only one hockey ground there. Leave the SAI (Sports Authority of India) ground, it is for the national camp. We have hostels, but where is the infrastructure? Every big city has a layout but no sports complex or sports arena or stadium.
Are government or public sector projects the only way to attract children to sports? Does it limit the growth of sports culture?
AB Subbaiah: What are the options? Sportsmen are not taken care of after their sports career, they have no insurance or pension. Most of our senior players don’t earn much even though they are champions. Many do not get good jobs. They suffer from health problems. Our government should treat all top athletes as professionals and provide money to start producing new champions instead of getting new jobs. When Sreejesh retired, he immediately became India’s junior coach. Such people should not be out of the system because if they get a 10-year break and come back as a coach, the game will change.
Tejaswin Shankar: The system is not well oiled. I do not agree that jobs should be given to Indian Khelo boys or those who have won medals once or twice in junior age group. I don’t think giving jobs and financial security is the best way. Exercise is important: it helps you find new perspectives; it teaches you different life skills. But that’s not the way to find a job. You have to find a job through education. Getting a government job should not be a sporting goal.
Listen to the conversation on The Hindu Parley podcast
AB Subbaiah, former goalkeeper for India, two-time Olympian, and three-time Asian Games medalist; Tejaswin Shankar, the current national record holder in the high jump and India’s first Commonwealth Games medalist in the event