CHENNAI: The way 2023 flew by, there is an inherent temptation to think about all that is beautiful for 2024. The time of the year has come when we indulge in introspections and predictions, of the past that has gone by and what the future holds. In sports, a loss can be as gripping a tale as a victory. It is a world where there is no loser. The story could be of either triumph or dejection. It could be a contest where ageing limbs plot the fall of an agile young body and mind with equanimity, where experience compensates for endurance.So when it comes down to predicting the future in sport, it is not just tricky but downright perilous. Yet we can travel with our imagination to prosperity and good health through sport.
In India, sports and mismanagement are inseparable. Imagine the world changing in 2024. What if we enter into a year when there is absolute silence and everyone in the administration is working to take the sport to greater heights? 2023 was marked by differences within the apex sporting body of the country, the Indian Olympic Association and various other National Sports Federations including wrestling, taekwondo, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis, just to name a few. In an ideal 2024, the whole fraternity will decide to come together and follow the sports code in toto. The IOA will finally appoint the Chief Executive Officer that the International Olympic Committee has been insisting on. The sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India will assist the NSFs in every way they can and not meddle with their affairs at all. The All India Football Federation will actually establish a nation-wide grassroots programme instead of just talking about qualifying for distant World Cups.
These days, if one faction within an NSF is recognised by the IOA or the sports ministry, the other faction is recognised by the International Federation. The sports ministry and the IOA did not handle the wrestling fiasco well. Here’s hoping for better governance in 2024.
Here’s another best-case scenario — The Paris Olympics just got over and India finishes in the top 20. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw India finishing 48th with one gold medal and seven medals in total. In Paris, the hope would be for that medal tally to swell to over 10 (first time it will reach double figures) with at least two gold medals. Looking at the delayed 2022 Asian Games a few months ago, where India finished with over 100 medals, 111 to be precise, this is very much possible.
In reality though, it is indeed a bit difficult. If we consider the sports that India managed to win medals at the Olympics in the last five editions, then there will be serious concern for Paris. Weightlifting, which gave us a medal in Tokyo, may face a stiff test this time. Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is struggling with injury. Champion shuttler PV Sindhu, who had given India a medal in Rio and Tokyo, has looked vulnerable inside the court in recent times. However, her slip in form has been compensated by the rise of doubles exponents Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Wrestling had added two medals through Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya but right now the sport itself is in a mess. Only Antim Panghal (women’s wrestling 53kg) has secured an Olympic quota so far. A lot will depend on the remaining qualifiers if India wishes to maintain its record of winning at least one medal in the Olympics since 2008. Men’s boxing is in doldrums but women boxers are a big consolation.
Another medal sport in the last two decades, shooting seems to miss the target in big events too often. Pistol shooter Manu Bhaker and rifle shooter Sift Kaur Samra have been exceptional but others need to be more consistent. The shooters were the biggest disappointment at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Besides, archery has been on a roll at the Asian Games with compound archers creating history. Over to the recurve team to finally win an Olympic medal.
The brightest spot in recent times has been Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra. If consistency is a word that defines champions it has to be Neeraj. He has also been the most unassuming and nonchalant athlete on the athletics circuit. If Mondo Duplantis has raised the bar in pole vault, Neeraj has taken the sport to a different plane. His victories have given belief, especially to the billions in India. He will again spearhead India at the Olympics this year. Despite his form and sartorial dominance, sports can be quirky. Yet, if he is fully fit, he will be among medals in Paris too.
Once again the nation will be hoping for an ICC Trophy when the cricket caravan moves to the US and the Caribbean for the Men’s World T20 in June. The richest cricket body has yet to win a global title since the 2011 World Cup. As cricket expands to new frontiers, India would be hoping to expand their fortunes, not just in terms of money but also in terms of positive results. The women cricketers too would be seeking top reward in the World T20 in Bangladesh. In an ideal world, both trophies should be in India. In reality, things could be challenging.
In football, the goal will not be trophies, but putting up a respectable show at the Asian Cup in January. A big victory there could be the spark that Indian Football so desperately needs. Some sports definitely need an overhaul. Table tennis would be one. Boxing is another. After the highs of Vijender Singh, men have struggled to win medals at the Olympics.2024 may not change anything. Or it could end up changing everything. After all, doesn’t the beauty of sport lie in its unpredictability?