Olympic dreams

Cricket is the opium of our masses. We watch every at-home and overseas one-day and test match series; annual IPL games are mini-events in our homes enjoyed over drinks and snacks with friends dropping in, T20 and World Cup grips the nation. We love our cricket and how! But every four years, we bleed blue for some lesser-known sports and our attention gets drawn to weightlifting, wrestling boxing, wrestling etc. During the Olympics we suddenly become aware of the struggles of grassroots athletes; should a medal be won, we gush over the tenacity of the dedicated sportsperson who did not allow his economic background to play spoilsport. It's great that we celebrate these hardworking, spirited athletes but this is hardly an ongoing practice. You see, after the initial euphoria of the Olympics dies down, we return to our former idol worship of cricketers. And those athletes, both current and the ones with future potential, remain undiscovered or forgotten.

This pattern repeats itself during every Olympics; this year too as we rejoice our handful of silver and bronze medals, we wax eloquent about our athletes. Star weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu's picture of sitting on the floor and eating with her family went viral; actor R Madhavan was at a 'complete loss of words' and refused to believe it. Chanu's training academy was 25 kilometres from her village, Nongpok Kakching in Manipur. She showed her gratitude to the 150 truckers who gave her a lift for years. Instantly, this too became an inspirational Whatsapp forward worthy story.

And then there is the social strife faced by the athletes. Only during Olympics does the rest of India remember the north-east; habitants of the seven sisters' region opine that they will be back to being called 'chinky', 'momo', 'chinese'. Racial slurs and casteism are another sordid reality in our country. Two upper caste men hurled casteist abuses at hockey player, Vandana Katariya's family in Haridwar. After their loss against Argentina, these two men danced and burst crackers outside her house and pinned India's loss to having "too many Dalit players" in the team. In spite of her historic hat-trick in the quarterfinals against South Africa that made sports history, in India Katariya couldn't shake off her so-called 'lower caste' status. This too is India.

I scoff at the notions of the privileged who seem so taken aback by the living conditions of many of our sportspeople. The truth is that most Indian sportspeople hail from extremely humble backgrounds. Our self-congratulatory attitude towards the few who have won medals exposes our sheer ignorance of the hundreds of Chanus who are, as we speak, fighting difficult circumstances every day. While foreign athletes have access to world class training, in India, a majority of our athletes still crave the basics --- healthy, nutritious meals and professional sports gear, and training. Their families also require financial support, so that the athletes are allowed to pursue sports with a single-minded dedication. Many of these athletes never reach their true potential.

It's not all gloom and doom. Some patrons have supported sportspeople for years. The Odisha government has supported the men's and women's hockey teams since 2018, Tata Steel, JSW Sports, GoSports Foundation, among others, have been nurturing talent for years. Once medals are won, brands swoop in to make hay. Domino's pizza initially did this Chanu offering her free pizzas for life when she said she wants a pizza post-win. While they later signed a digital activation pact with Chanu, unauthorised use of Olympics winners' images in advertisements has been slammed by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). A well-known trope used by companies to ride on the coattails of winners either by illegally using their images or making a beeline for them through branding contracts. They wrestle for a piece of the star power even though credit should rest with the companies that supported them before their accolades. Endorsements are welcome remuneration for sportspersons who still have to look for government jobs to secure their future. Chanu became Additional Superintendent of Police while hockey player, Gurjit Kaur's father wants a government job for her.

Some opportunities open up for the victorious but what of the athletes who still need support in order to achieve their true potential? Instead of cashing in on the newfound wins, we need more companies to bet on athletes that are still aspiring for greatness; because it's at that stage that their support will be crucial. And maybe then we will finally have a satisfying response as to why a nation of a billion Indians brings home only a handful of medals.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal