In 2004 Olympics India could get just one silver medal. It increased to 3 medals in 2008. 2012 we have got 6 medals till now. Cheers India! We can do it.
Little encouragement to the really merited ones can take us ahead in the medal tally next time. India is not short of talent, it lacks encouragement at the right time to the right person. Come, let’s get moving and achieving more an more.
Olympics and India – don’t we have enough talent?
Anything perceived with perseverance pays. This is proved by the United States of America and China who have won most of the medals in the Olympics. Is it not high time to analyze what we are lacking?
There are many reasons for not achieving much at international level is not owing to lack of good sports person. There are many other reasons such as:
- Sports not being independent of politics
- Merit not being the only criteria on which candidates are selected
- Lack of infrastructure for practicing sports
- Lack of financial assistance to the needy
- Lack of encouragement for the right candidates
Sports training should be started at a very young age and it should be the main curriculum. Rigorous practice at the very young age yields good results. In some countries which are smaller than India, children admitted to the sports schools and they undergo training continuously. The training imparted to them is the best and this helps in excelling in their particular sports event. Academic studies are kept at a low profile and more importance is given to sports.
Despite all this lacuna, our heroes and heroines Saina Nehwal, Yogeshwara, Mary Kom, Vijendra Singh and Sushil Kumar have made us proud. They have achieved this success by their personal talents and only after winning they were given lots of privileges. If they were encouraged before the Olympics, maybe they could have achieved much more.
What is the immediate need?
- Improvement of infrastructure
- Instituting sports scholarships
- Releasing sports from the political influence.
- Recognizing the right talent at a younger age and training them
- Providing more facilities for sports schools
- Putting sports training institutions under the guidance of senior sports personnel
We have unlimited talent, youngsters who can reach heights and achieve much more, they need the right platform and encouragement. Given this, India can compete truly with other countries and get more gold medals.
