In an increasingly toxic political and social environment of a conflict-ridden world, the Olympic Games still embody the spirit of sporting endeavour, not pure as the driven snow in professional sport and yet promising weeks of action far removed from European, West Asian and African battlefields.
Sport has often been described as war minus the shooting. In the current global scene, no Games can be bereft of negative influences spilling over from the real world as we saw in the chaos and confusion reigning in a soccer match between Morocco and Argentina, a country accused of racism even in sporting triumph as in the Copa America, and crowd trouble in an Israel-Mali game.
Paris, the beautiful city, may have had to take protective security measures against the discontent and disaffection ruling the everyday world. In its simplicity and in its far-reaching bid to make the Games sustainable and green in an urban environment and make new and refurbished venues available to a diverse population, Paris is setting new standards.
It is into this very Parisian Games that Indian athletes will be taking the highest ever burden of expectations as a newly awakened India to the advantages of professional sport has given them the money and the facilities to practise in the best possible environment to excel in their chosen disciplines.
Save in the traditional national sport of hockey in which colonial India was expected to strike gold without fail, India has never had a favourite to win the glittering metal in track & field in which Milkha Singh and P.T. Usha were legendary but only nearly-there athletes. Today, Neeraj Chopra, the first ever gold medal winner in athletics, knows that nothing but gold will satisfy Indian sporting fans.
Having provided the greatest breakthrough in the Covid-hit Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, Neeraj lines up against Czech Jakub Vadlejch and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem who can push him. As the defending Olympic and world javelin champion, the athlete is the real torch bearer for Indian sport. No one might feel the weight of public anticipation around his performance more and, so far, he has proved he is up to the task.
P.V. Sindhu had provided a similar breakthrough for Indian sportswomen with Olympic medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo and even though 2023 was a year of struggles with form and fitness, the shuttler can hope for a unique hat-trick for an Indian as she has the big event temperament to go for the impossible sounding medal in a third Olympics. India’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also a leading medal prospect.
The hockey team may dream about past glory but will have its task cut out by exceptional teams like Belgium and Australia. Fighting for greater causes like women’s right to a life of dignity without sexual harassment while taking on big figures in the administration, Vinesh Phogat may have been otherwise occupied, but she may have a good dart at a wrestling medal.
In a sportspersons contingent of 117, India has medal hopes in many disciplines, but realistically a handful of individual performers may shine in Paris. And yet Indian athletes have come a long way since the days they were mere tourists at international events, save for the hockey players.
Given the financial and technical support they have benefited from in the last two decades, into which Abhinav Bindra led them with a shooting gold in 2008, it is only fair that they should expect to compete and perform with millions of Indian sports fans in mind. In the end, sport is not only about competing but more about winning.
