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The Indian Contingent returned back from London as a happier unit. After all, we have achieved something which even the US or China cannot boast of, a 100 % increase in the medal tally compared to the last Olympics. And considering the fact that we failed to win even a single individual medal between 1952 and 1996 and the fact that even post 1996 till 2008, we have only won 6 individual medals, the performance in the London Olympics 2012 is nothing less than remarkable. Cash rewards and felicitation programs are being organized for the medal winners. Mr. Ajay Maken, the union minister for Sports, in a candid interview talked about a realistic target of achieving 25 medals in 2020. The sports pundits also are positive that this target could be achieved.
But Mr. Ajay Maken did drop a bombshell when he spoke about human development index and per capita income of a nation playing a very important role in determining its performance in the Games. He also said that India has managed to do well in London keeping in mind the poor standings in both human development index and per capita income. When I saw this interview on TV, I brushed away this statement made by the minister considering it to be a lame excuse for under performance. But the following day I read an article on Business Standard which suggested that countries which are poor and have a predominantly hot climate do not generally do well at the Games. Now, coming from a reputed publication like the Business Standard, this had to be more than just a lame excuse.
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According to the Business Standard report dated 13/08/2012, India has done well to have stood 55th in the Games inspite of being ranked 140th in per capita income and 134th in human development index by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Of the 43 countries listed as poorer than India, only five countries have managed to win medals and only three of them namely Kenya, Ethiopia and North Korea have fared better than India. And as far as the climate is concerned, countries falling in the hot weather belt all the way from Western Sahara to humid Southeast Asia could manage to win a total of 25 medals only. There were more than 900 medals up for grabs at the Games (962 to be precise) but countries which were either poor or hot managed to win only 49 medals. And India achieved the unique distinction of being the only medal winning country which fell in the category of being both poor and hot. Does that mean we will always have to be content with whatever meager we manage to achieve in sports? Can’t we ever become a truly sporting power? What do the previous Olympic Games statistics suggest? Do they also say the same story?
For the sake of convenience, the scope of this article is restricted to 1996 Atlanta Olympics and onwards. Also for the sake of convenience, let us assume that the standings of the countries as far as per capita income is concerned remain the same in this period.
Let us now have a look at each of these Olympic Games one by one:
1. Atlanta Games 1996:
Total number of medals to be won: 842 medals
Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 14 medals
Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 19 medals
Total number of medals India won: 1 medal
Total= 34 medals
2. Sydney Games 2000:
Total number of medals to be won: 928 medals
Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 19 medals
Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 29 medals
Total number of medals India won: 1 medal
Total = 49 medals
3. Athens Games 2004:
Total number of medals to be won: 929 medals
Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 19 medals
Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 28 medals
Total number of medals India won: 1 medal
Total= 48 medals
4. Beijing Games 2008:
Total number of medals won: 958 medals
Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 33 medals
Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 22 medals
Total number of medals India won: 3 medals
Total = 58 medals
5. London Games 2012:
Total number of medals won: 962
Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 24 medals
Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 20 medals
Total number of medals India won: 6 medals
Total = 50 medals
So, the total number of medals won by countries which fall in the category of being either poor or hot or both in the last 5 Olympic Games is 239 out of a possible 4600 odd medals. This finding clearly warrants the claim made by the Business Standard article. However, I would still want to believe that it is sheer co-incidence that majority of the countries which fall in this bracket also are the ones where sports is neglected and hence under developed. Since there are few countries in this bracket who have performed exceptionally well at the Games, it is purely because of the ambition and dedication of the people living there.
For example, Kenya, which is ranked 155th in per capita income by IMF, has won as many as 75 medals including 45 medals in the last 5 Olympic Games, most of them coming in the long and middle distance races. For young people in Kenya, there is a common desire to be rich and for them the way to achieve it is to excel in sports mainly running long distances. It is this intense ambition to beat poverty in this manner which inspires them to go through rigorous training drills and to go through whatever it takes to be a champion. “When the lion is chasing the antelope, he doesn’t look back. He has to eat.” This is a common trait that describes the people of Kenya, a compulsion to end poverty.
Ethiopia, which is ranked as low as 179th in that list, has won 32 medals in the last 5 Olympic Games, all in athletics. Bekoji, a remote town in Ethiopia, has a tradition of producing sporting legends, generation after generation through a combination of remarkable coaching and a peculiar climate that produces air quality perfect for distance runners. ‘This ‘freakish climate’, as they call it, is pure and clean but is so thin that it makes visitors gasp. It sometimes makes one ill to the point of vomiting. Instead of complaining about it, the people there looked at it as an opportunity to test themselves to the maximum by learning to master one’s pains and control one’s breathing. And we have some of the best long and medium distance runners coming from this country.
So, finally, it all boils down to intent and desire. The Kenyans and Ethiopians have shown us that. Surely India faces its own set of challenges. We are not a naturally athletic nation. Nor do we indigenously have a sporting tradition. And yes, we are a ‘poor and hot’ country. On the positive side, London showed that Indian athletes are now participating and meeting world standards in many more disciplines than they were a decade ago. There clearly isn’t a dearth of sporting talent in the country. If nurtured properly, they could spark a sporting revolution in this country. With good systematic reforms, this could well be the beginning of India’s journey to becoming a sporting powerhouse.
P.S. The Business Standard article can be found at http://business-standard.com/india/news/not-forpoorsweaty/483079/
