Kudos to Indian sportspersons for their magnificent achievements in various sporting disciplines in recent times, adding new laurels to the country’s sporting history. For the first time in the tournament’s 73-year history, India has won the coveted Thomas Cup, by defeating the most dominant Badminton nation in the world Indonesia, a competition which is also known as the unofficial World Championship. Only five nations have won the championship before India. Close on the heels of this success, pugilist Nikhat Zareen made the nation proud by winning the World Championship in Boxing. It was followed by Indian archery team winning Gold in the World Championship and the icing on the cake was wonder kid R. Praggnanandhaa’s victory over world chess champion Magnus Carlsen. The success can’t be termed a fluke as it was Praggnanandhaa’s second victory against the world champion within three months. Indian sportspersons have finally arrived on the international arena and we can expect much more successes in the days to come.
Infact, India could have become a major force in international sports much earlier had our sporting associations taken more sincere measures to promote sports in the country. The federations have failed to create a sporting culture in the country. Despite getting adequate grants from various sources, they have done little to popularise Olympic sports and have shown negligence in spotting and training budding talents. The Indian football team has not achieved anything remarkable for a long period of time and from this financial year the Central Government has decided to reduce the annual grant given to the parent association for the development of football in the country.
So, we must praise the achievements of our sportspersons despite the primitive sporting infrastructure in the country. Absence of proper training facilities, modern equipment, proper diet, lack of international exposure, etc. have posed serious challenges on their way to the top but they pursued their goals by fighting against difficult odds. Our sports persons were so determined that even before competing for the Thomas Cup, the shuttlers formed a WhatsApp group named ‘Bring it home’ and every member of the team took a vow not to return home empty-handed. Zareen went to the ring with the aim to prove every detractor wrong. Even 14-year-old Praggnanandhaa was not satisfied with his victory against Carlsen as the World Champion made a crucial mistake in the 40th move. With such determination and grit, Indian sportspersons are certain to scale new heights soon. To make it a reality, special emphasis should be given to the Northeast, as there is no dearth of sporting talent in the region. The region should be made a sporting hub to usher in the ‘Golden Era’ of Indian sports.