India and the Olympics...

[Shatterpoint]

Guys I would like to know why India has been so poor at sports in general? Is there something that can be done in India, with 1.2 billion people I am sure there are thousands of talented kids in almost every sport, who with the right infrastructure, coaching and financial assistance India could be a top 1 - 4 nations in the world.

I mean if you look at Australia alone they have won more medals at Olympics, World Championships, etc than India and I am talking about in history. Is this not a source of embarrassment to India that you guys don;t even compete in sports other than cricket?

I thought your hockey team was good, but they are a disgrace finishing 12th at the Olympics, what can be done in India in your opinions? Or what needs to change? In Australia for example, kids from a young age are encouraged to try every sport and they are encouraged to enjoy it, Australians are good at almost every sport they put their mind to.

Why can't this happen in India as well? Is it because Indians only think that cricket is a sport? The funny thing is that even at cricket Indians as a team haven't been very good over the history of cricket.

 

[--,-'{@]

improve awareness of sports here in India not many take sports as a career & major blame goes to cricket

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

improve awareness of sports here in India not many take sports as a career & major blame goes to cricket

People who lose always blame cricket for nothing.... Before 1983 cricket was almost nothing in India... My dad have never heard of cricket before Kapil lifted the WC in London... It worked hard to earn its due...
Hockey? From 80's goldens to disgrace now !! So cricket to blame for that?
Football? We had reached asia cup finals in 1960, who knows it? Football got itself degraded, cricket was administered better...
If even if we qualify for WC Football, public will go football crazy... But we are yet to see any inspired performance from footballl or hockey team or any other sport like the one cricket gave in 1983...
Does any know Indian tribal boys won WORLD CUP junior Rugby in 2006? Y not now? We have to think instead of fully blaming on cricket...

 

[zambino]

there are not many sports institutes in india..

 

[Water Car Engineer]

improve awareness of sports here in India not many take sports as a career & major blame goes to cricket

And I totally don't blame them for that. Would you want your son to take up sporting or go in the medical field in India? There isn't much opportunity for those kids in sports.

 

[DeathGod]

The bottomline is that playing your sports in India doesnt earn you BREAD...

We always talk about the pyramid of human need by maslow and the very first level is food water and shelter... Most sportsperson in India strive for this and this alone and thats why there isnt a spurt of people taking up sports.

Once the govt. realises that its better to fund sportsperson rather than buying mobile phone for BPL's then India will be a powerhouse in sports...

 

[danger007]

there are not many sports institutes in india..

not enough for a country like India...

 

[tvsram1992]

No interest , encouragement , affordability and many factors despite we have talented people

 

[Shatterpoint]

Well instead of giving the poor mobile phones, why don't the GOI improve sporting infra, and start funding and encouraging the young kids in school to try all sports? Sports is also a great way to keep healthy and active, and India is a time bomb waiting to explode with Diabetes already 100 million people have diabetes in India.

So much can be done in India, and I am sure there are hundreds of thousands talented kids who just need the encouragement and financial support to find which sports they can excel at.

 

[Sashan]

It is the culture. Take Indian education system. They encourage extra curricular activities till 9th grade. Come 10th grade and 12th grade(or junior college in many states), the parents ask you to wind up all the extra curricular activities and focus academically.

The reason is the parents do not see a future with sports. And they are right. Even if one represents university in various sports, he is going nowhere unless he has the educational qualifications. Consider this - even a person who had represented a state in sports will get a job as say a TTR in Railways whereas a person concentrating academically will get a job as say in a software company through campus interview and would earn atleast 3 times than a TTR.

So what choice a prudent youngster will make?