Playing on a global stage

India, backed by a strong economy and its vast and young population, is a market that most international sporting bodies are eager to tap. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), holding its first session in the country after four decades, too has acknowledged that. IOC president Thomas Bach has noted the growth of Olympic sports in recent years in India, highlighted by the country’s best-ever medal haul at the recently concluded Asian Games. With the prospect of an Olympics bid, India finds the opportunity to take that up several notches. The hosting of an Olympics requires a massive commitment in terms of sporting infrastructure. Access to world-class venues across sports, apart from those in cricket, is essential for sportspersons in this country, both at the elite and the grassroots level. Building towards that, with an eye on the 2036 Olympics bid, could only make the Indian sporting system stronger and broaden the talent pool.

However, as the IOC president stressed and India’s previous hosting of a mega multi-sport event (2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi) highlighted, the key is sustainability. Which, as Bach put it, means creating an Olympic legacy from the start. That’s where the challenge will lie for India. In the larger landscape of Olympic sports, India, though showing signs of progress, is still a relatively small fish. The country’s contingent won two medals at the 2016 Rio Games and seven in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. It’s in contrast to the future Olympics hosts: France (33 medals in Tokyo), USA (113) and Australia (46). Building the Olympic movement in India in every aspect, irrespective of whether the bid interest for 2036 meets its desired conclusion, will therefore have to begin now.