The National Games: A chance to scout the next generation of Indian sport
By Shakya Mitra
Director-Projects
Confederation of Sports and Recreation Industry
The National Games are being held after a gap of seven years. Apart from the long gap, it will be significant for a number of reasons. The Games were meant to be held in Goa but after multiple delays and the fear of them not taking place, they are now finally going to be taking place across six cities in Gujarat (with one sport in New Delhi).
Apart from the sense of relief regarding the National Games finally taking place, it is also about it being hosted in Gujarat with serious talk about an Olympic bid from India with the state as the hosts. The bid if successful could bring the Olympics to India as early as 2036. The National Games taking place in Gujarat might be the first step towards showcasing Gujarat’s (mainly the capital Ahmedabad) capability of being a successful Olympic host city.
So far India has only hosted a major multi-disciplinary competition on three occasions, the 1951 and 1982 Asian Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. World over it has been seen that hosting mega-events like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics have helped in the overall development of the host city. It is certainly the case with New Delhi and their hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Delhi has some of the best stadiums in the country when it comes to hosting international events related to Shooting, Boxing and Badminton. Moreover it isn’t just the improvement on the sporting scale but even the indirect benefit, connectivity within the city has improved immensely and Delhi has a Metro system which is as good as global standards.
It would be a definite break from tradition if Ahmedabad ends up becoming India’s representative as a prospective host city. Except the USA, the majority of the Olympic host cities have either been the capital or commercial nerve centres. This is not to suggest that Ahmedabad doesn’t have the credentials at least on the latter criteria but the conventional option would have been Delhi or Mumbai. So if Ahmedabad and the rest of Gujarat puts up a good show at the National Games, it will definitely clear any doubts about only Delhi or Mumbai being a prospective Olympic host city which is usually the direction the Olympics have headed in.
The timing of the National Games is important for India. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is closely observing developments in India and a well-organised National Games will go a long way towards strengthening India’s reputation on the world stage and in hosting the Olympics in the future.
Though the National Games has been taking place from a time even before our independence and this would be the 36th time, this particular edition could be the most significant of them all. Sports beyond cricket and hockey which was the predominant sport till the early 1980s, have started to grow in popularity in India. Relative Olympic success has contributed to this growing popularity. Till 1996, India had won medals in Hockey and the solitary medal in Wrestling in 1952 (if we discount Norman Pritchard’s medals in 1904). From 1996 to now, India has won 21 medals in the Summer Olympics from eight different sports. In fact India’s inability to enter double digits in the medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics was considered a disappointment by some, despite the fact that it was still our best ever showing with 7 medals.
That brings us to the competitiveness of the National Games, hosting it is one thing and we can be hopeful that Gujarat will do their best to make it a grand event but we need to look at it from the on-field perspective. Developing a solid pool of players should be at the heart of the development of Indian sport. While many of our sports have strong representation at the top level especially those who have done well at the Olympics and at World Cups and World Championships, it is what comes after them which poses questions. In that context a National Games becomes important.
Hosting the National Games might represent India’s Olympic ambitions but even the competitive atmosphere should be akin to the Olympics. Of course the National Games are no Olympics but if those athletes who don’t otherwise get that platform at the international level treat it like an Olympics and put up their best showing, we might actually get some solid talent who can go on to represent India in the years to come.
This is of course not the first time a National Games is happening, but in many senses this is coming at a critical moment of India’s sporting trajectory. We are in a phase of transition in many sports and with the publicity, media coverage and the fact that it will in all likelihood be broadcast on Doordarshan will increase the stakes for the athletes who will be desperate to do well, not only to prove a point but also to come to the attention of the larger public. The emergence of new athletes will also keep senior and established athletes on their toes.
For the sake of Indian sport, one hopes the National Games becomes a once every two year affair like it used to be, because eventually it shows up the depth (or lack of it) in our talent. These reality checks are always necessary for us to begin to do the groundwork and set our house back in order. These National Games will hopefully serve the same purpose too, showcasing the depth that we have. It would be good if some of our premier athletes are tested and not head to victories in a cakewalk because that will expose the bench strength.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are the author’s personal views. They may not represent those of the organisation