Olympics: Mission 2020

Sachin Tendulkar has always entertained with his cricket for the last two decades and won India matches a countless number of times. But when Sachin – MP of Rajya Sabha – advocated changes in the Indian sports system to HRD Ministry and Sports Ministry, he rose from being cricketer to the Member of Parliament, who could do something for struggling Indian sports.

Gagan Narang poses with the bronze medal he won in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting.

India in the London Olympics, 2012, bagged 6 medals. The performance was far better than the previous Olympics, but only 6 medals for a country of 1.2 billion and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India needs much more. The ratio of population to the number of medals won for the US is 1:3 million and for China it’s 1:15.5 million. For India: it’s 1:207 million!

So what should be done so that India bags at least 20 medals at the Olympics in 2020? Sachin Tendulkar in his presentation to Kapil Sibal wanted the government to focus on:

(1) Introduction of Indian sports history in the school curriculum

(2) Sports and Physical exercise/activities be made mandatory in schools

(3) Establishing a National Sports Academy on the lines of National Cricket Academy

(4) Establishing a National Institute of Sports Science for treatment of injuries to athletes.

The number of medals won by US , China and UK goes to show the amount of investment of both time and money by these countries. Can India replicate their model and be successful in the most prestigious sports event in the world? Well, facilities similar to Colorado Springs Olympic training centre or the Lake Placid Olympic training centre (which are fully residential, equipped with modern sports equipment, hospitals and gym for both athletes and coaches) can help the Indian athletes train better and help promote sports as a career option for aspiring athletes. Finding and developing talents across the country can help develop medal contenders for boxing, wrestling and shooting.

The dream of 20 medals in Olympics 2020 can be reality if the IOA and the government rise up to the occasion and implement Sachin’s recommendations. It may very well lead to birth of the next gen of Mary Koms, Gagan Narangs and Sushil Kumars.