Back in 1983, Kapil’s devils shocked the sporting world as one of the biggest ever shocks in sporting history played out at Lords in London. The underdogs India defeated the mighty West Indies in the Cricket World Cup Final and that had a seismic effect on Indian sporting scene. The popularity of cricket in India catapulted to a different level.
The sporting scene in India was never the same after that. Cricket turned from just a sport Indians play to a religion. Of course, few years later, a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar arrived on the Indian cricketing scene and the popularity of the sport hit stratospheric levels.
Nothing wrong in the popularity of men’s cricket, after all, Indians finally had a sport once again where they were one of the greatest powers in the world (there was obviously Hockey before that before the team declined after the switch from grass to astro turf before rebounding in recent years). However, many people felt that this rise in Cricket is coming at the cost of other sports.
There was a feeling that you have no sporting future in India if you pursue other sports instead of Cricket. There is a scene in the famous Bollywood hit ‘Chak De India’ where Shah Rukh Khan’s character tells the women’s Hockey captain that there is no problem in pursuing sports in India as long as you are playing Cricket. That used to be the prevailing sentiment.
Public sentiment also translated into government policy. During the UPA government, the budget for sports kept shrinking (notably, cricket doesn’t rely on government funding for decades now). By 2013-2014, the sports budget had shrunk to just Rs 874 Crores, in a country of well over 100 crore people, that was it for all the sports. How were we even expected to win anything on the global stage.
However, then came the pivotal moment in Indian history in May 2014. A certain Narendra Damodardas Modi won the Lok Sabha elections and became the Prime Minister of India and thus began a sporting revolution in India.
Khelo India introduced by Modi Government
The Khelo India initiative launched by Narendra government after it came to power in 2014 has turned to be a real revolution. Not only has it inspired Indian athletes, but it has also served to change the mindset about sports in India. Now people don’t look at sports as just a hobby or as a means to get government jobs. Now people, backed by world class infrastructure and training facilities, aim to become world beaters in every sport.
The rapid improvement of India during world events is not an accident, it is thanks to the sporting programs launched by Modi government. During last Asian Games, India won as many as 106 medals, a massive rise from its previous best-ever tally. A lot of it had to do with the improved training facilities and world class coaching that Indian sportspersons are now exposed to.
Improvement in sporting infrastructure
During the UPA years of cuts and neglect, the sports budget fell from ₹3,229 crore in 2010–11 to just ₹874 crore by 2013–14. However, all that changed once PM Modi came to power. Sports was given priority and now the sports budget stands at a whopping ₹3,800 crore. This budget is used for scholarships, stipends, and direct financial aid, along with providing world class training facilities and coaching.
Modi government has used the expertise of former champions to train the young blood and make them world beaters. This experience was earlier going to waste, but now over 800 such former champions train the next generations of Indian sportspersons.
Rise in Indian medal tally during global events
Many of us are old enough to remember when even a single medal during Olympic Games was a source of immense pride. Now, Olympic medals have become a norm. In fact, the country was left a little disappointed that we won only 6 medals during Paris Olympics 2024 after winning 7 during Tokyo games. For the first time, India won an individual Olympic Gold in Athletics during Tokyo Olympics.
The number of medals during Asian Games and Commonwealth Games touched a record high as Indian athletes continue to impress across various disciplines. After 41 years, India won a medal at the Olympics in its national sport Hockey. Again, this was not an accident, but was part of the long process been undertaken.
Not just Olympics, Indian performance in the Paralympics has also improved by leaps and bounds. From ending up without a medal at the Beijing 2008 Games, India won as many as 29 medals during Paris 2024. This is again because of the support the athletes have been provided to excel.
Indian athletes always had the potential
Indian athletes always had the potential to compete with the world’s best. All they lacked was proper support infrastructure around them. During PM Modi government’s tenure, they have finally been provided that. There is no money seeping through the gaps due to corruption. All of it is being used for the betterment of Indian athletes and to provide them the necessary support system.
Now propelled by this support, Indian athletes are competing on international platforms across various disciplines and bringing laurels for the country.
Fair to say, under PM Modi, India has seen nothing less than a sporting revolution, and that is why, India is looking forward to the 2026 Asian Games and 2028 Olympics with great hope. In the past, we sometimes looked at these games with dread that we will again underperform but now that mood has totally changed. It is amazing what government support can do to the sporting fortunes of a country.
