Tokyo Olympics 2020: More events, more rewards
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."
These words by famous American football player and coach Vince Lombardi are perhaps something that athletes all over the world should remember and follow, especially Indians. Undivided India has been a constant presence at the Olympics a few years since inception—1920, to be exact. But 100 years later, as we head into the 32nd edition in Tokyo, a nation with a population of 1.3 billion has merely 28 medals to its name.
It’s not that athletes in the country are not chasing perfection. If so, that number would have been zero. It’s just that the way they do so has multiple flaws.
So, which are the countries bringing in the most number of medals? It’s certainly not the ones with more population. If that was the case, then how come the Americans, Russians (and their predecessors, Soviet Union) and Chinese are leading the all-time charts? It’s certainly not the wealthier countries either. Many developing African nations have more medals compared to the rich countries in the Gulf. The real winners are the ones with a proper system in place.
Of the nine gold that India has won, only one has come in an individual event: rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Wrestler Khashaba Jadhav might have bagged India’s first individual medal at the Helsinki Games in 1952. But podium finishes in individual events became a regular thing only after Leander Paes’s bronze at the 1996 Atalanta Games. From Karnam Malleswari’s weightlifting bronze in Sydney in 2000 to PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik four years ago in Rio de Janeiro, there was a sudden resurgence. And in all those years, disciplines like shooting, wrestling, boxing and badminton have dominated.
According to London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang, there is a good reason behind this. “There is a lot of investment in shooting, boxing, wrestling and badminton from the private sector and the government. That’s beginning to show results. Plus badminton, wrestling and boxing have leagues. They help the best in the business clash against each other even outside big events.”
Investments and private leagues have certainly played a part in recent times. But is that the only reason? “Indians are traditionally good at precision sport and those that require mental fortitude,” he adds.
In the last 10-12 years, a growing trend in Indian sport is the growth of high-performance centres. Narang’s Gun for Glory and Anju Bobby George’s Sports Foundation, to name a few, gave a platform for youngsters to train at the best of facilities.
Application of computers, machinery and sports science has changed the way athletes train and compete these days. But all these factors apply to most of the countries at the Olympics. Of course, some of them benefited from these technologies a little sooner compared to India. But there was a time before that too, and it did not stop them from winning.
“Sports has become more like education these days. People like physiotherapists, masseurs and nutritionists have a huge role. We did not have that in our days,” remarks former boxer and Commonwealth Games champion Akhil Kumar.
“Then, the competition level has also increased. SAI (Sports Authority of India), the ministry and the federations have started putting in more effort. Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme, and high-performance centres like Bindra’s and JSW’s have changed everything. Our country has some sports that we have been traditionally good at. For us to do good in every sport, it will take time. Earlier it was hockey. Now it’s something else. Talent search is also a vital aspect.”
If technology and money have helped India bag Olympic medals in those four disciplines, then why not in other sports like athletics or swimming? For years, India has done a great job in some of the other events, like the Commonwealth and Asiad. But when it comes to a World Championships or Olympics, it is the same old story. That is where policy and planning come into the picture. Talent, money and technology alone won’t bring in laurels. For that to happen, one has to have a proper structure and planning in place. That is lacking in athletics, according to George, a long jump legend and World Championships bronze medallist.
“In athletics, at the Worlds or Olympics, the number of participating countries is more than 200. But at the same time, in the other events in which we are getting medals, the number is less. That is one reason why athletics is so tough. In the same events in which India has won Olympic medals, they might not be able to perform at the Asian level. Take badminton for example. Asia is a powerhouse. How many players have won individual medals at Asiad or Asian Championships? Very few.
“In the Olympics, a lot depends on the draw. They compete against each other, one by one. We have to face all of them together. To cross the first round in athletics is very tough. We are still in the same position in other sports because we are concentrating more on training and not about peaking through competition. We are ignoring that. We can train 50 per cent and then the rest of the 50 should be about peaking at major competitions. We have to keep competing at the highest level and bring our body to that level.”
All said and done, there have been signs of improvement in other disciplines. Athletics is one. The likes of Neeraj Chopra or the relay teams might finally break the curse in Tokyo. As far as table tennis is concerned, the two medals at the Asian Games in 2018 prove that India is moving in the right direction. Other sports, like gymnastics for example, have also thrown up a few winners at world-level events over the last few years. But will all this bear fruit in Tokyo? Maybe. Maybe not. But it seems like we have at least found our path to excellence. It remains to be seen if we can keep walking down that road.
Athletics
T&F: July 31-August 8
Marathon: August 8, 9
Race-walk: August 6, 7
Badminton: July 25-August 3
Boxing: July 25-August 9
Shooting: July 25-August 3
Wrestling: August 2-August 8