Asian Games 2022: Beginning of a Glorious Era

23, 23, 35, 36, 53, 65, 57, 70 and 107 ; this is not a random series of numbers placed in a mysterious order but a riveting medal tally of Bharat at Asian Games since 1990. Reading these numbers in a chronological order reveals a story that invites a thousand emotions when understood and conveyed properly. In a country like Bharat, where diversity runs in the psychological streamline of its citizens, sports act as a vital catalyst in enabling people to rise above their differences and unite for a common greater cause. There is something about sports that unites people. Something that brings people together in their most adverse moments. Sports have the power to transcend political, religious and geographical boundaries.The recently concluded Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou witnessed the Bharat contingent win an unprecedented 107 medals including 28 gold medals making this the best performance in terms of the total number of medals won in the continental multi-sport event. As the numbers in the beginning of the article indicate, the road to this glorious moment has not been a comfortable one. For a nation with the youngest population, it should have been relatively easy to nurture and find the best talent across various sports who would go onto win medals at the global stage. Bharat never lacked talent and athletes did perform well in the past, however, due to many challenges, we lagged behind in terms of medals. However, in the last 9 years, there has been a tectonic shift in the attitude of the policymakers towards nurturing talented sportspersons. For starters, the budget allocation towards the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has increased by 11% since 2014. This is the highest ever budget allocation for the Ministry since 2010 when Commonwealth Games were held in India. The budget allocation is more than three times the budget of 2011-12 and is almost two times the budget of 2014-15. Apart from the increased financial support lent to the sports infrastructure in the country, the Government of India had also rolled out two marquee initiatives that enable sportspersons to gain access to specialised training and nurture their talent..The first one is the Khelo India Programme that has emerged as a transformative force in the realm of sports development. By identifying and nurturing 1000 deserving youngsters across sports disciplines, this initiative has established a pipeline for future sports champions. Under this scheme, select athletes are entitled to a scholarship amount of five lakh rupees for eight consecutive years. This provides the youngsters with the much needed impetus to concentrate on their training and competitions by alleviating the financial burdens on aspiring sportspeople. Budget allocation towards this scheme has been gradually increasing over the years and it is important to note that Lakshya Sen—one of the heroes of the Thomas Cup—is one of the distinguished beneficiaries of the Khelo India programme.The second one is the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), started in September 2014, that has propelled India's pursuit of Olympic glory, offering specialised training and support to athletes with medal-winning potential. This was revamped in April 2018 to establish a technical support team for managing the TOPS athletes and providing holistic support. The scheme is fully functional and has been extending all requisite support to probable athletes identified Olympic Games and Paralympic Games including foreign training, international competition, equipment and coaching camp besides monthly stipend of ₹50,000 for each athlete. It is to be noted that distinguished sports persons such as Neeraj Chopra have been beneficiaries of this scheme. Bharat’s stupendous performances at such global events not only projects our nation as a formidable force to reckon across sports disciplines but also diversifies the interest of the citizens of this nation towards other less popular games such as javelin or golf..This rise of Bharat as a force to reckon with in sports events, which is backed by sensible policy measures from the Government of India, will inspire the present and future generations to become more interested in finding their inner potential and pursue it vigorously. The Asian Games 2022 will be a watershed moment in the history of sports in Bharat. Just like how Bharat’s victory in the 1983 and 2011 World Cups in cricket inspired millions of youngsters to actively play cricket, the remarkable performance of our sportspersons at the Asian Games will inspire more youngsters and their parents to pursue their interests in various sports disciplines. Only an inspired nation will stride towards glory and this inspiration that is imparted due to the remarkable performances of our sportspersons at the Asian Games will ensure that India stands First at every podium in the years to come.