No golds for India: Why the world’s most populous country punches below its weight at the Olympics

Indias history of untapped Olympic potential can be explained by several factors, according to experts, with underinvestment in sports being a major culprit.. . New Delhi has never poured resources into a national training program like those of traditional Olympic powerhouses, which have long regarded gold medals as a symbol of national strength, Sen said.. ..

When people say 1.4 billion people and only (six) medals, that is a totally wrong headline, because 1.39 billion people dont have access to sports facilities, said Boria Majumdar, sports analyst and author of Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games.. . India sends far fewer athletes and support staff to the Olympics than top teams like the US, Majumdar said..

Right from childhood, when I started wrestling, people would tease me saying that shes a girl what can she do, why is she entering a male sport? said Sakshi Malik, an Indian wrestler who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.. . Malik quit wrestling last year amid controversy over sexual harassment allegations against Indias wrestling chief, which saw Malik, Phogat and other wrestlers sleeping on the streets of Delhi for weeks demanding action.. ..

To think that the entire country is watching javelin at 2 a.m. because of one man, that is a revolution, he said, referring to the millions watching back home as Indias Chopra won silver in Paris.. . Indias massive Olympic potential is perhaps best underlined by its status in cricket, by far the countrys most popular sport and one in which it has become the dominant global force.. . Cricket has not been included in the Olympics since 1900 but is set to return at Los Angeles 2028, to the excitement of Indian fans and players, who will be chasing gold.. . While crickets multi-billion-dollar Indian Premier League is the most visible sign of sports investment in the country, other sports have also received a boost in recent years - both from increased corporate sponsorship and government funding.. ..

As of July 2024, Indias sports ministry had allocated nearly $260 million to state governments to develop sport infrastructure under the Khelo India program.. . Sen, the author, said there is also a growing realization in India of the soft power potential of global sporting success, citing Modi taking the time to call Olympic medalists to congratulate them.. ..

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