Sporting events like the Olympics expose the way a country is working towards development and I am saying this without any remorse. One can manage GDP, share market, funds utilisation, beneficiary schemes, political manifestos etc., which we all know has been happening in India for ages.
But no matter how much marketing you do, how much you show that you have invested in sports as a country, etc., even so, major events like the Olympics, where almost all the countries of the world participate, expose your lacunae and shows your vulnerable underbelly. You cannot manage results in sports. Exceptions might be there, but they are not rules.
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Vinesh Phogat's tragic incident exposed how complacent, how incompetent,etc. "we" are ...and "we" means the sports authorities, federations, athletes involved, in preparing ourselves for the highest stage in sports i.e. the Olympics. Our knowledge in athlete management, sports nutrition, sports conditioning, preparing better than competition (remember rules are the same for all nations), having foresightedness,etc. have been brutally exposed. "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
Why do these things like weight related disqualification, mental disintegration and finishing 4th or below in many sports,etc., have happened mainly for India and its athletes, in Paris 2024. Just one word for it : "Inept"
Clear case of not being proactive, no vision, no interim planning, etc. by our sports authorities in the Olympics Games have been happening since decades. We might not address the elephant in the room and try to hide the skeletons in the cupboard, but things are clearly out in the open for everyone to see. The government and in particular the Ministry of youth affairs & sports, might have plenty of innovative programmes like Khelo India, TOPS,etc., but such things only look good on paper, if they don't give expected results.
And working at the grassroots level, creating infrastructures across states and districts, nurturing talents from a young age, giving security of a great life ahead for a young sportsperson (other than cricket), etc .....We are ages behind in that matter.
Funds provided for sports development are generally in the hands of political masters and their ilk. So, nothing more to add here except : Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything.
