Despite Commonwealth, Khelo India is yet to show results

The ministry of youth affair and sports was established in 2000, prior to which it was the department of sports. This is an indication of the importance given to sports in the early decade of independence when the country was still grappling with issues like poverty and communal riots.

The ministry is bifurcated in department of youth and the department of sports; however the promotion of sports was the primary responsibility of national sports federation (NSA).

This responsibility of sports promotion has been taken up by the government in the recent Khelo India campaign, which aims at reviving the sports culture in India.

Reasons for lack of sports culture in India are attributed to the mindset of parents and of schools, lack of support by the government in regard of funds, lack of sportsmanship and the limited media coverage given to sports. 

HT reported that a Chinese media outlet says that India lags behind in sports due to poor infrastructure, poor health, poverty and disallowing girls to play while pushing boys to academic fields. 

One objective of Khelo India is to identify 1000 young athletes from across India and from different sports, and give them an annual funding of RS 5 Lakh for 8 years, in an effort to reduce dropping off sports as children grow (TOI). My 28-year old driving instructor was a track and field athlete, and he stated that the government used to allocate RS 10 per person per day saying it is enough to build a sportsman’s health, in his time.  

Khelo India school games were aired on Star TV in HD, and it garnered a viewership of 102 million (The Hindu), indicating that this might be the turning point for India’ sports culture. However, one reason could be that the very parents and relatives of the students participating in the games were what constituted most of the 102 million. Nevertheless, it is heartening to see a shift in the way sports are being viewed lately. 

Another objective was to reward the childhood coaches of famous sportspersons, who should be recognized.

It is a bit early to tell whether the Khelo India campaign has had an effect in India’s performances internationally, as we look at the recent Commonwealth Games that took place in Gold Coast. India has performed reasonably this time, winning 26 golds, 20 silvers, and 20 bronzes. Totaling 66 medals, it is India’s third best performance after winning 101 medals in 2010 Delhi games and 69 medals in 2002 Manchester edition.

Looking at the list of athletes who participated and won in the commonwealth games, of the 26 gold medalists, 21 were those who had represented India in international sports events before the Gold Coast Commonwealth. India is a country who sends it’s elite players and sportsmen to Commonwealth rather than train them for Olympics, a much larger sports platform.

Hopefully with the Khelo India campaign, more young talent will be identified to participate in these international sports competitions and championships.