Now that the 2024 Olympics have come to an end, it is a good time to reflect on India’s sports policy. 

Model For Medals

• A medal tally of 6 -no gold – is a disappointing Olympic performance for India.
• There were as many as 6 fourth-place finishes that could have gone our way, but for a nation of 1.4bn, even that’s not really good enough.
• Though there is no doubt India has improved considerably at Games since Beijing 2008, we have stayed in the 2-7 medal range in the last five editions.
• In what is a striking and sobering contrast, China bagged second place in total medals tally at Paris, even as it matched the US in number of golds.
• For India, rethink of strategy and implementation is required to move to the next level.

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• Contingent still small:  One reason we haven’t enough to show is that we aren’t sending enough athletes to Olympics.
  • Our 117 athletes at Paris made for a representation of just .08 per mn population.
  • Compare that with 37.8 for New Zealand. Or, Japan, with less than one-tenth of our population, sending more than 400 athletes.
  • A larger pool at the Games is the first step to go up the medal tally. Increasing the number of sports we compete in is one way this can be done.
  • At Paris, we were in the reckoning in just 16 of the 32 sports. Our neighbour China competed in 30.
  • The problem is too few athletes qualify for Olympic selections.
• Expand pool to draw from: Widening of the talent base is what’s needed if more of our athletes are to qualify for the Games.
  • Our top-level infra has improved immensely in recent years. But. barring sporting states like Haryana and Punjab, it is largely urban talent that is benefiting from such infra.
  • This will not change without a grassroots-based approach. We need to create a sporting culture and build infra at our schools and universities.
  • Such infra is what is behind US’s sporting success.
  • To take just one example, American universities have produced US gymnastics champions.
• Reform sporting bodies: And then there’s the pressing need to change how our sporting federations function.
• As the Wrestling Federation of India controversy highlighted, politicians, their kin, or their aides continue to rule the roost at many of these bodies, often at the cost of our athletes.
• A Vinesh Phogat bloomed not because of the system but despite it.
• The National Sports Development Code of India, meant to reform their functioning, is yet to be followed by many federations.
• Unless this changes, we might have to continue to endure underwhelming performances at sport’s greatest event.

Why Should India Spend Public Money on Sports?

• The most important question is usually left unasked: why should the Union and state governments spend public funds on sports? 
• Specifically, why should the Indian exchequer finance participation in the Olympic Games? 
• Let me report on an animated discussion we had at Takshashila last week. 
• There were multiple points of view and I isolated a few ways of answering these questions.
• The zeroth response came from my libertarian colleagues. 
• It says that the government should not spend public funds on sports. 
• Doing so would both be a violation of individual liberty and an undue state intervention in society. 
• This does not mean sports is unimportant, only that the government should keep out of it. 
• Leave it to society. Most citizens consider religion important, but we keep the state out of it, right? 
• The public health argument, in my mind, successfully makes the case for government involvement in promoting sports. 
• The more people engage in sports, the fitter and healthier they will be. 
• This will contribute both to public health and reduce healthcare expenditure. 
• There are big positive externalities from sports and hence there is a case for a government role. 
• From this angle, the administration must ensure there are playgrounds, sports facilities, gyms, stadiums and swimming pools within easy access to citizens.
• It could require sports to be included as part of school curricula, with kids getting enough time and opportunities to engage in sporting activities. 
• However, the public health argument does not require the government to finance sports people to compete in the Olympics, world cups or other international championships.
• The social psychology argument contends that competitive sports is essentially a substitute for warfare and offers a way to create higher-level unity in a diverse, fractious and polarized society. 
• External competition provides a superordinate incentive for internal unity.

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Why Should India Spend Public Money on Sports?

• The first is that the Olympic medals tally demonstrates national achievement and power to the world, although countries like North Korea and those in the former communist bloc take this too far.
• Seeking medals despite low per capita income is a statement of national aspiration, much like how Nehru supported nuclear, space and aerospace research in the 1950s despite India being desperately poor. 
• We remind ourselves and the world of where we think we belong, regardless of where we are right now.
• Beyond public health and national glory, there is the utilitarian argument. Sports can be a source of economic activity, growth and development. 
• Around the world, many cities have invested in massive sports facilities and Formula One circuits to attract visitors who spend on hotels, shopping and tourist attractions.
• Odisha’s investments in sports facilities have the potential of becoming a growth vector to the state. 
• The success of premier league cricket, football and kabaddi point to the economic potential of sports. 
• Utilitarians argue that the government must invest in infrastructure, facilities and training for the sports economy to flourish.
• Here’s the thing, though: While we have three different reasons for public expenditure on sports, each suggests a different goal with a different strategy. 
• Public health calls for the government to promote a sporting lifestyle by providing infrastructure.

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Conclusion

India’s Olympic performance highlights the need for strategic reforms in athlete preparation, sports infrastructure, and governance. Investing in sports yields health, national pride, and economic benefits.

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