A dream to chase!

While celebrating the achievements of our athletes in Paris, we seem to willingly overlook the underperformance of the country in the Olympics. Apparently, we tend to seek consolation in interpreting the 'not so good' performance as 'not so bad' as jingoism pumps excessive adrenaline. It is like settling for a lamp post after aiming for the sky. India, the most populous nation in the world with an enviable 34 per cent youth population, is behind even countries like Iran, Kenya, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Grenada, and Jamaica—not only in the tally of medals but even in participation. When the US sent 600 athletes and a small country like Japan more than 400, India sent only 117. It’s a shame that while India is a global leader in various fields, its story of sport is an embarrassing aberration.

The success of most countries like the US, China, the UK, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Italy—who bagged gold, silver, and bronze in double digits—is attributed to their world-class sports infrastructure and a progressive sociocultural narrative that encourages and grooms athletes from formative ages—an ecosystem conspicuously absent in developing countries like India, not to mention the mismanagement and lack of accountability in sports institutions. India needs to learn from these leading sporting nations in order to better its performance at LA in 2028.

The performance of athletes and investment in sports activity necessarily have a transitive relationship. Government investment in developing countries is not sufficient even for priority sectors like education and health, and as such, spending on sports is more symbolic than substantial. Currently, it is less than 0.01 per cent of GDP. In 2017-18, the per-person expenditure on sports was less than 3 paise in India compared to Rs 6.10 spent in China (two hundred times more)—a country with a more aging population than youth. The Union budget for sports during the last Olympics (2020) was Rs 2,826 crore, while for 2023-24, it is Rs 3,442.32 crore—a rise of just about Rs 600 crore. The vision of a sporting nation cannot be realised without adequate public spending.

Schools are the genesis for the development of sports. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018 reveals that firstly, only two-thirds of schools had a period for physical education in the timetable. Secondly, less than 20 per cent of schools had a regular physical education teacher. Though more than 70 per cent of schools had playgrounds and sports equipment, the lack of sports teachers and designated sports periods nullifies the very purpose of the schemes. A narrative of academic excellence seems to have throttled the growth of sports. One wonders how schemes like ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ and Khelo India, which aim to revive sports culture with a special focus on schools, can deliver amidst such ground realities.

The narrative of sport has undergone a drastic change all over the world. Originally an avocation for fun and fitness, sport has metamorphosed into a full-fledged industry and business with a premium on professionalism worth Rs 5,894 crore (USD 796 million). The IPL is the pinnacle of this metamorphosis for cricket in India. There are 15 more leagues in sports like badminton, football, kabaddi, wrestling, and boxing, all with robust financial worth.

The last two decades have witnessed a rapid growth in the commercialisation of sport. A strong nexus between media, sport, and commerce has emerged as a viable model not only for business but also for the self-advancement of sportspersons. Selective games are marketed as products, dramatised with song and colour to create wider viewership. Olympians are seen modelling for consumer products even before the closing ceremony. Today, visibility is an indispensable factor for both the sport and the careers of players. Data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) 2016 shows that the IPL has 362 million viewers, followed by soccer league in India with 224 million, kabaddi league with 220 million, wrestling league with 109 million, hockey league with 43 million, and badminton league with 36 million.

Secondly, the sport culture has been redefined with value additions of fitness and suavity to create a high-end market. This glamour has also influenced lifestyles. Even non-sport lovers have begun wearing sports shirts, trousers, caps, watches, and shoes, contributing to a growing business worth USD 96 billion. Fitness centres are booming, and fitness apps are popular among the middle class.

Thirdly, the sports industry promotes talent and provides global opportunities to earn big money. The best football players from Argentina and Brazil are procured by overseas clubs and leagues. For North American and European professional sports, developing countries serve as nurseries, providing a pool of talent. The industry promotes investment and generates job opportunities such as commentators, experts, sports journalists, nutritionists, sports physiotherapists, umpires, referees, and data analysts. Reportedly, the industry has the potential to reach a USD 10 billion level in the next five years.

In the backdrop of the prevailing narrative of sport, the mission to excel in international events needs to be pursued as a priority and not as a residual agenda. A comprehensive approach is necessary to create an ecosystem that can build a powerhouse of world-class athletes. To begin with, schools from middle to higher secondary levels have to be made focal points to serve as nurseries for future sportspersons. The current allocations need to be at least doubled. We must strive to bring about attitudinal changes in society, especially in parenting, to accept sport as part of one’s attitude and as a way of life. The right of young people to make choices according to their aptitudes must not be denied under the garb of ‘protection,’ which is actually emotional abuse. Specialised institutions, infrastructure, and resources are the next requirements for training aspiring young people; these are extremely sparse and not within the reach of the majority of the population. The private sector’s contribution through CSR, which is but a placebo now, needs to become substantially effective. The 100 largest listed Indian-origin companies reportedly spent only Rs 123 crore on sports in 2018-19—a decline from 1.59 per cent in 2017-18 to 1.41 per cent in 2018-19.

The development of sport today cannot be envisioned without forging synergy among the sports industry, government, and stakeholders, including young aspirants. Sadly, the flip side of the commercialisation of sport includes corruption, classism, and gender bias. A robust mechanism of checks and balances needs to be in place so that sportspersons do not have to hit the streets demanding justice and fair play. The way forward is to develop India’s own model, inclusive and just in nature, rolling out liberal schemes and providing concessions wherever necessary. Last but not least, cultural and caste issues play a negative role in sports development, as Professor Ronojoy Sen (Sports in South Asia) observes. Special Sports Zones, akin to SEZs, must be created to address inequity resulting from socio-cultural factors like caste, faith, and gender.

The writer is a former Addl. Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh. Views expressed are personal