Pairs Olympics 2024: In the end, India’s campaign a case of glass half full

PARIS: The lights are dimmed. The curtains are slowly drawing close. The show is over. Tales of valour, extraordinary human feats, moments of joy and ecstasy, losses and despair are slowly being stored in the leaves of Olympic history. Just like when a theatre gets over, the lights switch on in the hall, it’s time for the audience to wake up to reality and discuss the acts each athlete played. Paris soaked in the summer sun.

There was a feeling of emptiness as the grandest sporting show on the planet ended on Sunday. USA and China are firmly perched on the top. Somewhere in the bottom half was India, 71 with one silver and five bronze. For a country that won seven medals in Tokyo 2020 in 2021 including a gold, this seemed a case of one step backward. If one adds the six fourth finishes and VInesh Phogat’s heartbreaking disqualification, then one can say it was just about alright. Nothing to celebrate except for the medallists.

The backdrop under which the athletes competed too should be considered. The Sports Authority of India said they had spent about `470 crore for the preparation of the athletes in the last Olympic cycle. There was no lack of support from the SAI, national sports federations (NSFs) and some NGOs who have been providing necessary assistance to almost all athletes. Perhaps that prompted India badminton team coach Prakash Padukone to say that the athletes also should take some responsibility as well.

Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha, who had finished fourth at the Los Angeles Olympics, felt that we should think about the future. There are quite a few debutants (about more than half of the 117-member contingent). She felt that the primary objective would be to save and protect these athletes. “They are the future of our country and we need to preserve them,” she said.

Chef de mission Gagan Narang, London Olympic bronze medallist, said that it was a creditable performance. “There are 21 players who medalled,” he said alluding to the 16-member hockey team. He also felt that the athletes should be guided well. “Wrap them in cotton wool,” he said.

The sports administrators right from SAI to NSFs must go into a huddle and find where they went wrong. They must find a solution to India’s inability to reach the double-digit mark. Or else the six here will count for nothing. For a nation that wants to bid for the 2036 Olympics, six medals definitely won’t reflect the sporting superiority on the global stage.