New Delhi: India has taken many steps to raise the standard of sports in the country and showcased its growing prowess across the globe. The country has been most famous for cricket but has now diversified to other sports, achieving global recognition in athletics, badminton, boxing, and wrestling. This evolution can be attributed to the talent that the country has to offer and also to the changing sports culture.
Evolution of Sports in India
The Indian government launched The Khelo India Games in 2018 and it has done a crucial job in identifying and nurturing talent across the country. The Khelo India Games provides athletes with world-class facilities, coaching, and financial support and also enables them to compete at the highest levels with young talent from across the country.
The introduction of leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and Indian Super League (ISL) has also helped the young and talented athletes of the country to play and compete at the highest level with many superstars of the game. The societal perception of sports as a career has also changed in the country now, because of Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Mirabai Chanu and many other players, who came from middle-class families and have done well on the global level. The media coverage and social media also played an important role in inspiring the youths of the country to take sports as a career.
Recent Achievements
Indian cricket team recently won the T20 World Cup and ended the long-standing wait for the ICC trophy. In 2023, Rohit Sharma and Co. also played the final of the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship.
Manu Bhaker won two medals in shooting at the Paris Olympics and the hockey team also won two consecutive bronze medals in the Olympics. Neeraj Chopra won gold in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and showed consistency in the Paris Olympics by winning the silver medal. Sarabjot Singh, Swapnil Kusale and Aman Sehrawat also contributed to the six medals (5 bronze and 1 silver) India won in Paris.
While the athletes gave plenty of reasons to celebrate, the country also missed out on many medals and finished fourth in badminton, archery, shooting and weightlifting at the Summer Games 2024. The Indian football team also failed to make it to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers after losing against Qatar.
Challenges
Despite many achievements, there are many challenges that the country needs to overcome to become a powerhouse in sports. Most of the potential talent of the country resides in the rural areas and infrastructure in those areas is still lacking. Moreover, the emphasis on a few popular sports means that many others, despite having potential, are underfunded and underrepresented. The focus on several popular sports also means that many others are still underfunded and underrepresented.
The recent achievements of the country in sports are a reflection of the evolving sports culture and with the continued support from the government and the development of sports infrastructure in the country, the future of India looks promising.
Take a look at India’s sporting journey from cricket to a rising nation in Olympic sport and how the sports culture in the country is changing. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
