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When Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that India would leave no stone unturned in efforts to organise the 2036 Olympics, the residents of tiny Goleshwar village in Satara district, Maharashtra, wondered whether a promised stadium dedicated to local wrestling icon Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, who holds the distinction of being India’s first individual Olympic medallist, would finally become a reality.
Khashaba won the bronze medal in freestyle wrestling bantamweight category at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Yet, as his family and fellow villagers recall, the Olympian was denied the national recognition he deserved and lived in obscurity until he died under tragic circumstances in 1984 at the age of 58.
In 2009, the Maharashtra government had unveiled plans to build a wrestling stadium dedicated to Khashaba’s memory, but that has remained merely on paper.
Lamenting the lack of sports funding both at the state and national levels, the late wrestler’s son Ranjit says, “While we appreciate the bid for the Olympics, it is essential to confront the stark reality on the ground concerning sports, athletes, and infrastructure.”
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Budgetary shortfall
The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has increased from ₹466 crore in 2004-05 to ₹3,397.32 crore for 2023-24. Notably, it is 11 per cent higher compared to the outlay for 2022-23, making it the highest allocation for the ministry since 2010, when India hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Yet, in proportion to the country’s population, it falls way short.
With one in every four Indians aged 15-24, India has an enviable youth population. The sports allocation targeted at this segment works out to Rs 69 per head per year. In comparison, a country like China spends about Rs 3 lakh crore annually on sports.
Poor outcomes
Given the low sport spends, the outcomes fall farshort of Olympic standards.
There are 69 national sports federations in India, each of which received government assistance of about Rs 2 crore in 2022-23. Only 1,254 athletes could receive overseas training under the Sports Ministry’s schemes during the last five years.
In July this year, the Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that, since sports is a State subject, the primary responsibility for the creation of sports infrastructure, including new sports projects, rests with the respective State governments and the Union government only supplements their efforts.
Khelo India
Government data shows that funds allocated under the Khelo India scheme have not been fully utilised since 2018-19.
The Khelo India Programme was launched in 2017-18 to promote sports in rural areas and unearth local talent to nurture them for competitions. However, 48 per cent of the selected athletes come from just five States.
Missing timely support
As one of India’s medal-winning shooters put it, athletes need support at the training stage, but most receive it only after they have bagged a medal. “My father struggled financially to support me and no sponsor was ready to help. Many athletes lose steam as they struggle to access basic infrastructure and support, and ultimately give up,” she rues.
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