Opinion Express View: After the Olympics

Finishing with six medals, India couldn’t improve on its last Olympics medal haul of seven. On the medals tally, it slipped from 48th to 70th place. With defending javelin champion Neeraj Chopra settling for silver, the lack of a gold medal cost the country a good 10 places this time. So how will a cold-hearted reviewer — who treats Vinesh Phogat’s tragic 100 grams miss with hard objectivity — see the performance of India’s biggest-ever Olympic contingent in 2024? Paris will be remembered for the lessons it taught a nation with grand sporting dreams of producing world-class athletes and hosting mega international events. As the curtains come down in Paris, Indian sports needs to go into a huddle. The important stake-holders — federations, Sports Authority of India, Sports Ministry and other non-government organisations — need to pull in the same direction.

The spending on elite athletes was generous, but at times it was celebrity-driven and without foresight. Badminton legend Prakash Padukone raised valid questions on the need for athletes to be far more accountable and deliver when it matters. The federations also need to correct course. Phogat’s weight category confusion and Nikhat Zareen’s lack of match-day training and subsequent tough draw point to the mess the national wrestling and boxing bodies find themselves in. India can dream of broad-basing into swimming and athletics, but not without ensuring badminton, weightlifting, wrestling, and boxing keep up with their medal marks. The country also shouldn’t see the many fourth-place finishes as the speck of morning light that promises a sparkling dawn. These near-misses will need to be minutely analysed for meltdowns under pressure. Being on the threshold of the podium is no guarantee of reaching the much-celebrated Top 3 perch in a matter of four years.

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The real bright spot has been the men’s hockey team. Back-to-back Olympic bronze medals is an exceptional achievement. Captain Harmanpreet Singh, leading the team both at Tokyo and Paris, had a reliable core group that the selectors didn’t disturb. In coach Craig Fulton, the team had a committed coach with an international reputation of building champion international sides. The government and federation also gave both Harmanpreet and Fulton a free hand. Olympic medals need a process and persistence with top names at least over a couple of cycles. Double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker wanted Jaspal Rana as her coach. After a lot of reluctance, the decision-makers relented and Bhaker had her way. So at the Paris review meeting for Indian sports stake-holders, there needs to be a white-board with a message written in bold — “Identify the champions wisely and honestly. And listen to them”.