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blog.forumias.com/sports-sector-in-india-issues-and-challenges/
Introduction
The conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 brought immense joy to the nation. India won
its first gold medal in track and field events of the Olympics. A total of 7 medals were won,
which marks India’s best score at the Olympics. However, despite this, India finished 48th
in the event. Whereas Japan, with a far less population, came 3rd on the leaderboard.
Thus, it shows that with the right guidance and hard work, it is not impossible for India to
compete against countries like the US and China. The government and the private sector
should come forward to support the sportspersons and breed robust sports culture in
India.
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4. Private sector involvement in the sport has increased. Furthermore, the rise of
private academies that are involved in the development of sport at various levels is
helping strengthen the facilities available to our sportspeople.
5. Corporations have come forward to support individual athletes with potential,
showing a depth of commitment that was absent earlier.
Health advantages: Sports induce an individual to keep his/her body in the best form for
winning an event. The existence of a sports culture in turn induces the masses to adopt a
healthy lifestyle just like the sportspersons.
Channelization of Youth energy: India is having a very young population and is soon
going to become the world’s youngest country. In such a scenario, a robust sports sector
can help in reaping the potential demographic dividend.
Revenue generation: Developing robust sports infrastructure in the country will allow
India to host a greater number of international events. Such hosting boosts tourism in the
country and results in enhancing the revenue and employment in the region.
Promotes the spirit of Unity in Diversity: People cheer for the Indian athletes and
Indian teams at international events. An improvement in sports automatically fosters the
spirit of brotherhood amongst the people of diverse nations. For instance, the Pan India
support enjoyed by PV Sindhu enhances belongingness between India’s north and
south.
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Attitudinal Barriers: Sports is not considered a lucrative career option in our country.
Parents encourage their children to become doctors and engineers rather than
sportspeople. This is reflected in the popular saying of Kheloge Kudoge hoge kharab;
Padhoge Likhoge hoge nawab. It means sports will spoil your life, but academics will give
you a king’s life.
Governance Issues
Sports governance is marred with multiple issues –
Other challenges:
Religious Barriers: Some sports like swimming and athletics require attire that does not
fully cover a woman’s body and are against the laws of some religions.
Lack of Sports Culture: India doesn’t have a sports culture wherein people
enthusiastically watch sports and promote the same. However, enthusiasm is shown
mainly to cricket due to which it easily attracts investment and pays the cricketers a hefty
sum of revenue.
It is a Pan India Sports Scholarship scheme that would cover 1,000 most talented
young athletes each year across select sports disciplines.
Each athlete selected under the scheme shall receive an annual scholarship
worth Rs. 5.00 lakh for 8 consecutive years.
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It is based on Gujarat’s model of “Khel Mahakumbh” in which schools and colleges
from across the country participate in 27 different disciplines.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS): It aims to identify, groom and prepare
potential medal prospects for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Under this scheme,
athletes and sportspersons will get customized training from top coaches at modern and
well-equipped sports facilities and institutions. In 2020, the government also launched
Junior TOPS, a similar scheme to produce Olympic winners in 2028 targeting children as
young as 10 – 12 years.
Conclusion
The Government needs to acknowledge that Indian athletes compete less against their
sporting rivals and more against the circumstances. They should be given an enabling
environment to nurture themselves so as to convert the dream of “Sports for All” into
reality.
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