GigglyMuffin

Olympics & India: Where do we go from here?

I have seen almost every event this olympics live or through highlights. Heck I saw even the qualifiers for all our athletes.

What happened truly bums me out. The several 4th place finishes. What happened with Vinesh Phogat. And then Neeraj being unable to win gold (we should not expect a gold from someone twice, he is already a legend).

But the heart wants more (yeh dil maange more).

A) I don't want to say it's our athletes. Suddenly everyone is spreading that narrative, that they don't have a winning mentality. Look. One athlete may not have it. But several? This is their fucking lives. If you were in their position, would you not try your hardest? So aren't they trying their hardest?

B) I don't nearly know enough to blame it on our government or our facilities. Sure, they would suck. But it hurts to see Pakistan and North Korea above us. So I won't take the resources argument.

C) The truth is. In a nation of 1.4 billion, we produced 0 golds. China in a similar economic condition (1990s) used to get 20-30 medals easy.

It's us. All of us. Let's focus on sports. We have got to do better. I am not a parent today, I will be tomorrow. I promise to:

Encourage my kids to take up sports, and support them fully through it if they want to
Not be that society uncle who keeps the football when it goes near them

We can only do our part. Cheers.

4mo ago

4.9Kviews

Find out if you are being paid fairly.Download Grapevine

GigglyMuffin

Meesho4mo

Also. One of us in this community itself probably had the skillset to get a medal in the olympics. It's just that our conditions never allowed us to try/pursue. It isn't the genetics, it's just the lack of encouragement and exposure.

The thought baffles me

ZestyQuokka

Stealth4mo

So true! Someone I know played state level and wasn't allowed to attend trials for nationals by his family. He is now in corporate, doing the rat race

JumpyPretzel

Stealth4mo

It is not that simple. Individual efforts are just not enough. It has to be institutional efforts from the very primary School level, like in primary and middle School level only, competitive Sports culture has to be inculcated. For example of this, have a look at sports culture in Navodaya Vidyalaya and Sainik Schools, or many such residential Schools. That culture has to be put in every single Schools of India, only then this change can happen. Individual parents can being only very little changes, and that too can be done only by upper middle class parents who have enough money and resources.