JOIN USThe most successful Olympics that India enjoyed in Tokyo 2020 has prompted many states to renew their focus on sports which otherwise has been the most neglected part of their list of priorities. Everyone, from chief ministers to the prime minister have sidestepped pressing issues for a brief passage of time to justifiably honour the men and women who have brought laurels to the country. The euphoria around India's Olympic success has been so huge that it has pushed even Karnataka, a state where barring cricket, infrastructure for other sports across the state is average, to realise the value of investing in sports. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced formation of a high-level committee tasked with identifying 75 promising athletes from the state for the Paris Olympics.
For a state where education is the number one priority amongst a vast majority of parents, this is a welcome sign. Before Karnataka, only a few states had understood the importance of promoting sports, with Odisha, Haryana and Punjab leading by example. While Odisha has been the primary sponsors of the Indian hockey team, Haryana, a state which has been pumping in a good amount of money over the years in wrestling and boxing besides encouraging shooting and track and field events, further loosened its purse strings on the medal winners and has promised to invest more for the next Olympics cycle.
Since the London Olympics in 2012 where India bagged six medals, the Central government has been increasing its investment in sports. Two years after the London bash, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) started the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) where potential medallists were identified and funded generously. The number of recruits in TOPS has been growing steadily over the years and now talented athletes have been nurtured. In fact, for the Tokyo Olympic cycle over Rs 1,000 crore was allocated to TOPS. Athletes have constantly hailed the Sports Authority of India and MYAS for being far more dynamic that has made their lives a lot easier.
While Karnataka does host Dasara Games, it is safe to say that sports has not been on its priority list for many years now. The abject state of the Sree Kanteerava Stadium is well known. Not a single athletics meet there passes without a hitch or two. This is Bengaluru, the high-tech city of the country, so you can just imagine what will be the condition in other districts. While it is good that there has been some initiative ahead of the Paris Olympics, the state must also ensure infrastructure and quality coaching are ramped up simultaneously. Only then can the state dream about producing good athletes consistently.