India is Not Yet There, but it Might Soon Become a Sporting Nation

India is not a sporting nation yet, but it might become if the Indian government tries hard enough

India is not a sporting nation yet, but it is for sure that Indians love to play sports and win occasionally more than often in games other than cricket. Over the past couple of years, Indians seem to be ruling most global game competitions. Neeraj Chopra just won India’s first-ever gold in Olympic athletics. Non-Cricket sports have also been resurging, with several other sports players like LovlinaBorgogain, MirabaiChanu, PV Sindhu, and Ravi Kumar Dahiya. The success of these sportspeople has been celebrated with much enthusiasm, but their success does not denote that India is a sporting nation.

No doubt over the past couple of years the emergence of several government initiatives, accompanied by corporate and media moguls, has helped Indians achieve their dreams in sports. In games like tennis and badminton, some champions have a sporadic interest in championing several sports. As part of government initiatives, there are awards and training opportunities, but unfortunately, they are all very limited. Other large business houses like the Tatas, Reliance, JSW, Mahindra, Vedanta, and Hero have spent significantly to set up leagues and academics enabling them to study different sports and choose their dreams. Broadcasters have also facilitated by showcasing more sports events and games.

Why is India Not a Sporting Nation Yet?

For a country to be identified as a sporting nation, just winning medals at major sporting events and forums might not be enough. There needs to be a conscious effort by the government and the people residing in the country to make sports an inherent part of the lives of their communities. Health and fitness are two crucial aspects of a progressive and flourishing society. These are the areas that the Indian government should focus on more rather than creating just a sporting culture and developing a consciousness revolving around sports and games, to be called a sporting nation.

India has been taking great strides in the sporting arena, with particular performances at various prestigious events such as the World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and the Olympics. Champion athletes such as Abhinav Bindra, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Sushil Kumar, and Vijender Singh, to name a few have brought laurels to the country. But just bringing home medals is not enough. There has to be a more productive attitude towards health and fitness, and this is the process that will produce more champion athletes.

For quite a long time, India has been crazy about cricket. The hype and buzz around cricket are unimaginable, and it extends to the limit that all other sports in the country seem too small in front of it. The money that the governing board of cricket has at its disposal is basically used to develop cricketing infrastructure across the country, which has promoted the spread of cricket. It’s not that people do not wish to see other sports, but generally, other sports lack the kind of infrastructure that cricket has in the country. In a nutshell, it is quite evident that India is not ready to become a sporting country, but its future endeavors might surely help the country gain that status in the upcoming years.