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With the results of Indian contingent in the latest Olympics held in London, there is a question starting to regain its old heights: “What can inspire future generation to take sports as a career in India?“
The London Olympic 2012′s slogan ‘Inspire a generation’ rang a bell. So do we lack or the potential or the inspiration? Most of the players playing in India are either hailing from a sporting background or from a prosperous family. So clearly there is a lot more that India can offer, all we need is inspiration.
Let’s see the factors that keep young generation intimidated rather than inspired:
1. Education system: Since school time, the education system only emphasizes on studies and sports are just for fun.
2. Family orientation: Everyone wants their children to be either Doctors or Engineers, but a sportsperson, no way!
3. Government support: Well, they give lot of jobs based on sports quota to accomplished athletes, but sadly there is no institution that invites openly anyone who has the talent, from root level.
The third problem is the main, if it is solved the above two will be automatically solved.
So finally it just narrows down to the government that should step forward and take measures, but the question is, what measures?
Well here is an easy and practical idea, government should establish a new kind of institutions which emphasize on developing world class athletes. Like IITs and IIMs, there should be an IIS (Indian Institute of Sports), where the best talent in all sports from the entire country could get enrolled and they will carry the Indian hopes of sporting world. The idea of creating an IIS could lead India to be one of the best countries in the sporting world because there is a lot of talent in this country which I have witnessed myself. The only thing that stops them is that they don’t have a path to follow. In the beginning there obviously will not be much positive response, but I am very well-assured that if implemented this idea can totally renovate the face of Indian sports.
People tell their children to aim and get into IITs so the boy starts preparing for it, takes several coaching lessons, and tries to bring out his best. He gets into IIT, then what? Now his parents want him to try harder and get into IIM, the boys struggles again and gives his best to get into IIM. Before the boy can even make a bold decision for his life his ship is already in the sea where there is no turning back. The reason behind the world acknowledging the brains of India today makes it very clear how much potential we have, the rising competition among the students make them one of the best brains not only in the country but also in the world.
I am not asking to change the education pattern of India and make it like the American education system which has a complete organisation called NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) dedicated to bring new talents in sports and support them to get better while their education is underway. This will take way bigger steps and investment and truth be told, India isn’t ready for it yet. But India definitely requires an institution where student athlete is a known term, where sports are the main priority and the infrastructure is good enough to train the students for world class competition. Just imagining an institution like this being built gives me goosebumps.
For other countries Indians are usually known as brainy people. This is because of our orientation. Imagine a boy who has enrolled in IIT. He figures that if IIT wouldn’t have been everything in the country then he could have used his potential to do something that he loves the most, something that he wanted to do all his life when he was a child. If the orientation changes from getting into IIT to getting into IIS, the results would be beyond imagination. Though it feels like a dream but it could be reality because this is by far the most practical idea I have ever known to improve situation of Indian sporting world. This could be very easily implemented by government, if not, the idea is so simple that even private organizations can implement it.
If we really care for our future generation we should write a request to the government for establishment of such institutions. Combined efforts of us all can only make it strong issue. If we want our children to live their dream, this step is required to be taken. There a lot of movements already started to promote sports all over the country these movements can be easily utilized to raise this agenda.
I am an engineering student myself but I am trying with my sweat and blood to become a Lawn Tennis professional. Well, it is very hard to defy the rules, doing something off the hook just takes everything out of you, I know I am not the first one to try anything like this, but this just proves how many are just waiting for an institution like IIS to open. We do have sports in the schools but when the question comes about career nobody even faces towards the fields. Why is that? Because there is no reputable career in sports. Well this could all change when in the days to come a young student stands up in a career orientation conference and say, “Sir, I want to be a professional athlete, I want to get into IIS”.
-Asif Khan
