Cricket, cricket and cricket, guess this is all what buzzes in India day in and day out. People follow cricket like religion. It is pity to even describe the abject condition of other sports in the country ranging from soccer to athletics. India is a land of billion people yet we play no other sport barring cricket. When it comes to Olympics it’s a total disaster. Why is it that we fail to win medals when it comes to Olympics? It’s high time we introspect and find out a solution for this long lasting problem.
China is a nation which is as populated as we are, but they always finish top in the podium. Why is it so? Well, before 1986 Olympics China failed to win medals at the mega event.They took this as a great offense to their nation and decided to forgo the following olympics.They nation as a whole decided that they would only participate if they were assured of medals from their athletes. Each and every denizen of that country worked hard for they thought their reputation was at stake everytime they went in to the event. In 1986 Olympics China finished second. Such was the hard work and dedication from their athletes. With the same amount of population don’t you think we don’t have the same potential as they have? We produce a hell a lot of engineers and doctors than China, a fact which we must feel proud of. If same amount of dedication and commitment can be put in to sports, we could go sky high.
The reason for this lackluster performance can be blamed on poor training facilities, lack of awareness on importance of sports as a career, domination of one sport( cricket),lack of sense of pride, laziness etc. Over the years people have blamed the infrastructure and quality of trainers as the reason behind India’s dismal performance. There is no doubt that there is truth behind it but, this in not the only reason for our failure. The root to this problem is poor fitness inspite of the decent facilities provided. Indians are physically weak compared to their counterparts from countries like USA,USSR,U.K, but so are China. How come they are able to achieve?? Fitness does not mean being strong and brawny. It means staying healthy and fit. How many of us Jog, cycle everyday? With advancement in technology the need for fitness has become extinct. Americans are far more technologically advanced than us, yet you can find people jogging, trekking and cycling everyday. One must know how to balance life. There is not doubt that you must use the technology but it is also mandatory that we don’t forget our basics.
Next reason being education. There is no question of eradicating education out of our lives for sports. Instead, the inclusion of sports in to our curriculum would do us a world of good. Marks for sports would enable children work a lot harder and also give equal grandness for sports. This will also bump off the fear in the parent’s mind who see potential in their children to make a career out of it.
To conclude, If we can rectify our shortcomings and realize our potential we can achieve a lot things that we can never dream of. Hope is the key to future. Lets be optimistic that glory awaits our nation soon.
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