India’s relatively better performance at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics showcased that sports in India is no longer dominated by Cricket alone. Seven medals in the Olympics and 19 in Paralympics demonstrate amply that there is a lot of potential for other sports in the nation. Government support and schemes like TOPS have ensured that the nation can achieve new heights. These successes seem to have ushered in new and big development in the Indian Games and sports Arena.
Playing any sport at the highest level becomes very expensive, requiring a sense of financial security to perform at the peak. Hence, youngsters from the middle class and the poor strata of the society, who constitute majority of the youth, were earlier found to be averse to sports as parents too often discouraged them from professionally pursuing sports. Hence, financial assistance is a major part of the sports promotion programmes, under which Rs. 6.28 lakh is allocated for each residential athlete training at the accredited academies as per the annual Khelo India scholarship scheme. It includes an out of the pocket allowance of Rs 1.20 lakh. The government is setting up 1,000 Khelo India centres, which will further give a big boost to sports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought a crucial mindset change and introduced numerous policies that have allowed innumerable youngsters to fulfill their dream of pursuing sports as a career. In Tokyo Olympics, 2020, India won 7 Medals total, 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze medals, registering the best ever performance at the Olympics. In Paralympics too, India won a record 19 medals with 5 Gold, 8 Silver and 6 Bronze medals. The number of medals won in this edition of the Paralympics is higher than India’s medals in all previous editions put together. Further, at the recently concluded Thomas Cup, the Indian Men’s Badminton team defeated 14-time title holder Indonesia to lift the winning trophy. PM Modi’s heartwarming interaction with the champions of the sports person also enthuse them a lot, showing India’s sports profile rising consistently across different sports, which is not merely a coincidence.
For the TOPS programme (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) the government specifically aims to identify athletes with great potential and enable customised and high-quality training and facilities for them, so that their focus remains on excellence in the arena rather than on fighting to get facilities unlike earlier. Under the scheme, the government takes full responsibility for foreign training of athletes, which includes their lodging, nutrition, equipment and international competitions in foreign countries besides a monthly stipend of Rs. 50,000 for each athlete.
Khelo India programme has been a huge success when it comes to harnessing the untapped potential of scores of youth especially from the rural and semi-urban areas. The programme comprises a clutch of schemes that form an important initiative to encourage sportspersons right from the grassroots. It aims at infusing sports culture and achieving sporting excellence. The Khelo India programme includes playfield development, community coaching development, promotion of community sports, the establishment of a strong sports competition structure at both school and university levels and filling up critical gaps in sports infrastructure including the creation of hubs of sports excellence in universities.
As India pulls its socks by way of providing sports infrastructure at the grassroots level to help athletes to become professional, seeds are sown seeds of a bright sports future for the country. The post-COVID world, where health and fitness is getting prioritised above everything, sports and games too are set to achieve record highs and new pursuers across the globe like never before. A strong preparation and setting up world-class infrastructure to cater to future sports stars becomes all relevant in such times.
India has made extensive efforts in recent years to transform the creative energy of the youth in the country, which have also resulted in grabbing gold in international sports and a well noticeable shift in the career preference of the youth and priorities of the parents. Plans like Khelo India scheme, TOPS, assistance to National Sports Federations, special awards to winners in international sports events and their coaches, national sports awards, pension to meritorious sports persons, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Sports Welfare Fund, National Sports Development Fund and running sports training centres through Sports Authority of India are fast changing the sports scenario.
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