Silver lining

London Olympics are an improvement, but athletes can do far better
No praise is good enough for the individual effort of our medal winners at the London Olympics. We can especially take heart at two of these medals won by women - Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal. Both displayed extraordinary pluck and grit as indeed our wrestlers.
Because our successes are so scarce, we tend to drown ourselves in a delirium of ecstasy at small gains.To say that our medals tally has doubled, from three to six, is to give an erroneous, though gratifying, impression of a 100% quantum jump. The fact is that we won three medals more than in Beijing - and none of them in gold, all honours coming in just four disciplines - wrestling, shooting, boxing and badminton. India has failed to register its presence in scores of all other disciplines, particularly in track and field events.
Indians are not a naturally athletic nation. India has no indigenous sporting tradition. The pride of playing for one's captain, team, region, country has been lacking. By and large, with notable exceptions, of course, the sports arena has not been an Indian forte - in team games, least of all. Take the London Olympics, for India, individuals alone have won medals; no teams, not even a doubles-pairing won any medal.
Even hockey, long considered an Indian speciality, and in which India have won a string of Olympic golds, incidentally, came from England, where it was mainly a game played in girls' schools. Very few countries played hockey (field hockey, to distinguish it from ice hockey). India's teams have had some outstanding successes, but against countries where the game was not really played. None can, of course, belittle the achievements and wizardry of Dhyan Chand and others of that ilk. Again, take football (soccer) - the world's number one game. The passion generated by this game in Kolkata, for instance, is almost as much as in Rio or Sao Paulo. But what is our standing in world football? Scores of countries are ranked higher than us.
In athletics and other Olympic events, our all too frequent pathetic performance is well known. No doubt, for the just-concluded London Games, there was some sanity on display. Else as a rule, our administrators, officials and politicians visiting the Olympics number among the largest contingents. The proportion of medals won to the officials attending the event would be laughable. Their vainglorious claims, puny efforts, lame excuses make the same story. Yet the officials and politicians involved in the development of sports remain firmly entrenched in their sinecures, sans accountability.
What needs to be done? A total makeover of the officials' brigade should be replaced by younger, committed people, responsible for producing results or facing the axe. Sports need to be rid of the prolonged stranglehold of politicians. Leading corporate and business houses among India Inc should be persuaded and encouraged to take an abiding interest with clear, specific sports segments.
They may be explicitly extended appropriate incentives, say, in taxation, by treating their efforts in sports as corporate social responsibility. Schools, colleges and universities will need to train, nourish and maintain boys and girls to excel in sports. Defence forces and paramilitary establishments as well as behemoths like Indian Railways are well placed to build up enviable traditions in this sector.
India has to be circumspect when considering the Olympic results as a national achievement. Among Asian countries alone, not counting China, there are five nations which won four or more gold medals each in London. We need compare our performance against these countries and set our sights on doing better than North Korea, Iran and Kazakhstan at least. Five gold medals wouldn't be an unrealistic target at Rio in 2016.
The writer is a current affairs analyst and former civil servant.