It was perhaps for the first time that many were tuning into a javelin throw event with keen interest. At the end of it, as the national anthem played at the just-concluded Olympics, there were few who did not feel pride.
The Indian contingent’s feat in Tokyo Olympics 2020 has been widely credited with earning a new generation of sporting enthusiasts in a country that has been invested in little other than cricket.
While many deemed the medal tally and the stellar performances that fell just short as an early Independence Day gift to India, in its 75th year, it has also given fodder to introspect on its sporting journey since. The performances proved that there is talent, but also exposed the loopholes in honing that talent. And sportspersons say Karnataka’s dwindling representation on the international stage is noticeable.
It has been 21 years since Olympian and Arjuna Award winner Nisha Millet’s tryst at the world’s biggest sporting event. And India’s performance has seen “huge improvement,” she says.
“We can make out that the government is putting in money. We need to look at the players who came in fourth and sixth also, not just the medal tally. Even in swimming, we were close to making the semi-final. The women’s hockey team’s fourth place is as good as a medal. There are others - Aditi Ashok, the young self-taught golfer, and fencing, weightlifting - sports you wouldn’t have pictured earlier. Talent is very much there. The challenge is finding international exposure, and support from a young age,” she said. Offering the stupendous success of Neeraj Chopra as an example, she stressed on the importance of extending support to sportspersons at an early age, something common abroad. “The younger age group needs nutrition, strength and conditioning coaching. Even if the government doesn’t do it, companies can through CSR. But corporate India is OK with supporting education, but not sports,” she rued. Funding from the State government is not enough, she said, giving the example of the Odisha government and its now celebrated role in supporting sports, especially hockey. “South India has to pick up in terms of funding. Many athletes drop out because of lack of funding and jobs, especially women,” she said.
Basketball player Dilip Gurumurthy, the only player from Karnataka on the Indian team that went to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, had similar observations. “Sports is not a priority. The entire system has to evolve. It has to become a part of life and the education system. Right from the grassroots level, a scientific approach is needed. Now Khelo India has come in. We have to involve each and every student and ensure they take part in some sport. This is also good for them from the health aspect,” he said.
He too raised the issue of employment, saying there was a need to incentivise sports. “When we were playing, a lot of companies used to recruit sporting talent. Now that too is dying,” he said.
Sports Minister K.C. Narayana Gowda has announced that the State government wants to send at least 100 sportspersons to the Paris 2024 Olympics and 35 have already been identified. He had also said that ₹5 lakh will be given to them.
(This is the fifth in a series on how the freedom movement panned out in various parts of Karnataka)