The Indian Athlete Has Arrived: Overview of India's sports journey ahead of Paris 2024

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As the world anticipates the start of the world's largest and most competitive sporting event in Paris this week, this memoir is a debut attempt to share some macro trends across performance, the business of sport, and the larger direction of Indian sports experienced as a former professional athlete, coach (albeit for a brief period), and sports management professional from the other side of the spectrum.

The last time the Olympics were held in the French capital, exactly 100 years ago, India sent seven athletes, who returned with zero medals. Fast-forward a century, and 117 of India's finest athletes will compete across 17 disciplines in August at the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

While progress is not to be measured only based on the number of Olympic Games qualifiers, it is worth highlighting that qualifying for the showpiece event is no mean feat for any professional Indian athlete. To put it into context, only 10,500 of the most elite athletes across 206 countries make the cut to push the boundaries of human excellence (mind and body) across 32 disciplines.

When the movement gained momentum

August 7, 2021, in Tokyo, marked a tectonic shift in the psyche of the Indian athlete. Neeraj Chopra scripted history by becoming the first ever Indian athlete to win an Olympic Gold medal in Athletics, a discipline I strongly believe is the mother of all sports.

Such has been the impact of his historic feat, and that too in a sport like Javelin, that India's largest contingent for any discipline this year is in Athletics, which has grown by more than 100 percent in the last decade since the London 2012 Olympics, marking the rise of not only Indian Track and Field but an innate belief that we are capable of being the best in the world. India's 28-member contingent in athletics is full of history makers, be it Avinash Sable, who has not only wiped a crazy 20 seconds off the 3000m Steeplechase National Record in just five years but also ended Kenya's 24-year hegemony in the event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham. Then there's Parul Choudhary, the reigning Asian Games Gold medalist and National Record holder, who is the only Indian Track and Field athlete to qualify for two events at Paris (3000m Steeplechase and 5000m).

One common theme and trend here is that a majority of India's sporting talent does not emerge from the urban metros but from rural and semi-urban India. This is primarily due to more exposure to physical activity (yes, kids in urban India are not moving enough!), a risk appetite to pursue a high-risk, high-reward career option in professional sport, and, most importantly, a drive to elevate their lives through the pursuit of sport.

Paris could be the pathbreaker

Paris 2024 has reached ever so close to achieving full gender parity on the field of play. Among the 329 medal events at the Paris Olympics, there are 157 men's events, 152 women's events and 20 mixed-gender events. This makes one of the most important moments in the history of women's sports at the Olympic Games. The celebration of the Indian athlete is incomplete without recognising the rise of women in sport in India, as our women athletes have won 7 out of the last 15 Olympic medals (~50 percent). The current debutants, including  Nikhat Zareen, Antim Panghal and Ritika Hooda, have not only been world champions in their respective categories and disciplines but are also breaking all gender stereotypes, eclipsing social stigma and economic barriers to inspire the next generation to pursue their dreams and ambitions, irrespective of gender or caste, which makes sport a true agent for change in India.

Also Read: What we know about the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

The average age of India's 117-member contingent for Paris is 26.9 years, with the youngest member being the 14-year-old swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu, who is making her debut through the University Quota. A special mention must be made for the two most senior members: Sharath Kamal (42), who will be the flag bearer for India in the opening ceremony and Rohan Bopanna (43), who recently became the oldest player ever to become the World #1 Ranked Men's Tennis Doubles Player and will compete in the same event Paris. Like global trends, we are seeing that the average shelf life of an athlete's active career is getting extended, including the 'peak performance period', thanks to the application of sports science and overall advancement in athlete well-being with a big focus on sports medicine, recovery, nutrition and psychology.

While we have always had individual Olympic stars who have defied odds and overcome obstacles (most prevalent of which are lack of funding in formative years, absence of a structured pathway for progression and the need for an athlete-centric administrative governance system for support), what marks a positive change right now is the focus and push on sports by the public sector along with effective cross-collaboration and intervention by the private and not for profit sector to fill in the identified gaps.

The Indian sports budget, at Rs3500 crore, is still only 0.07 percent of the total fiscal budget, with massive room for growth. It is well established with use cases that medals won are directly proportional to the funding allocated towards performance. It is worth applauding that we have seen a positive change through talent development programs such as TOPS and grassroots programs such as KHELO INDIA, which has consistently aimed at improving India's sports culture at the grassroots level.

From getting the best coaches and much-needed international exposure trips for Indian athletes to having a 1:1 ratio between athletes and support staff this time, including the appointment of domain experts such as Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, the biggest name in Indian sports medicine, as the Chief Medical Officer for the Indian contingent are actions signalling that we are progressing towards the athlete becoming the focal point of sport governance, administration and the overall ecosystem. There is still a long way to go, but I am an eternal optimist when it comes to my belief in the future of Indian sports.

The private and not-for-profit sectors led by the likes of JSW, Tata, Reliance, OGQ, Go Sports, and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation have also played an anchoring role in providing funding, mentorship, application of sports science and access to world-class infrastructure and coaching. The influence of corporate India in sport has also led to massive investments and the rise of private institutes such as the Inspire Institute of Sport, India's first privately-funded High-Performance Centre, which operates on a 100 percent scholarship model, and the Padukone – Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence. These establishments are pioneering the high-performance movement in India, giving young and budding Indian athletes access to a world-class infrastructure and a structured pathway.

Sport needs to think like business to grow 

The rise of Indian sport in the next decade also requires us to start looking at sport as a serious business, not just from a philanthropic angle, because sport is one of the most powerful tools for nation-building. Sport inspires citizens of the state and provides a compelling marketing platform that cuts across demographics. Rights-holders, athletes, and even grassroots organisations need to start focusing on how they deliver value, and once good fundamentals are in place, driving commerce will not be hard. A closer look at the blueprint already established by the most successful Olympic Sporting nation of all time, the US, reveals that the US Olympic Committee and its various sports federations don't get much government support, and the main source of funding is through corporate sponsorships and donations.

Truth be told, 90 percent of the market in the Indian sport across revenue streams, be it sponsorships, athlete endorsements, or media spends, is dominated by cricket. What has changed, though, is the recognition and realisation that India's Olympic stars are as big if not bigger than our beloved cricketers or Bollywood stars, who still corner the majority of the brand spends. Today, we are seeing the likes of Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu changing that narrative as they become household names and the go-to choice for national and international brands who are keen on breaking the clutter and seeking values of inspiration, excellence, performance, consistency and sincerity in national icons.

Some of these athletes already have 20+ endorsements across diverse business categories, both national and global. A walk down Brigade Road in Bengaluru would exhibit what has been a shift in momentum in Indian sport. The billboards of Mirabai Chanu, Neeraj Chopra, and Nikhat Zareen signal the rise of new sports stars.

Making space for deserving headlines

To the media, who play a very important role in any sporting economy, I must stress the need for educating the masses and anchoring public opinion to realise the resplendence of achievements in Olympic sporting disciplines. These are truly global sports that are extremely competitive in nature. To put it in context, while cricket is played primarily by the Commonwealth nations and the recently concluded T-20 World Cup had 20 countries competing in it, over 200 nations contest Track and Field events. With all due respect, while cricket is a religion in the subcontinent which has won the hearts of a billion fans by giving them immense joy and pride, we need to give globally competitive sports with serious participation from many of the world's sporting powerhouses a fair chance. Some might argue that it is the nature of the sport as our cricketers are seen all year round on live television and media, while the last two times I watched a Diamond League event, Neeraj Chopra's throw appeared for 30 seconds, not longer.

Also Read- We're ready to give our best at the Paris Olympics: Ashwini Ponnappa & Tanisha Crasto

The adulation our cricketers receive is fully deserved, but that which is not shown towards an athlete who cracks the top 100 ranking in an individual sport or wins an Olympic medal does not help create a level playing field. In that sense, we must consider creating sustained visibility, coverage and support for the trials and magnificence of the Olympic journey and achievement.

The achievements of the likes of Sumit Nagal, India's top-ranked singles tennis player (ranked #68 in the world), need to be recognised in the right context because cracking the Top 100 in the professional ATP tennis circuit is one of the most difficult feats in professional sport. Then there's celebrating the consistency of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, currently the world's premier badminton pair and one of India's brightest medal prospects in Paris. As many as 220 million people play badminton, of which at least 1,200 are ranked athletes who compete in the professional badminton circuit. The BWF has 176 member nations. Winning the Thomas Cup, with these details in mind, is no mean feat!

Largescale popularity, viewership, and growth for any sport in India go hand in hand with our athletes' winning internationally. This has happened earlier in hockey, is ongoing in cricket and badminton, and has extremely positive signs in athletics.

Taking some inspiration from cricket, the right question to ask here would be about the best practices that can be adopted to improve participation, marketability, and popularity of these sporting disciplines. Multi-sport nations have shown that it's possible to carve out a unique growth path for each sport, which cannot always be just another franchise-based professional league.

The future is bright

There is a sense of optimism that – as the years and months pass – the Indian athlete is establishing himself in the global arena. The biggest question, peppered with a sense of hope and confidence, is what will Paris 2024 bring home? There were a historic seven medals at Tokyo 2020, and our strongest medal contenders in athletics, badminton, hockey, boxing, and wrestling have been named. India's chances of touching double digits rest a lot on the performances of our shooters and archers.

They've worked hard and have a billion hearts beating for them, and while a lot rests on that day, it is safe to say that simply the hopes placed on them serve as a cause to celebrate. The Indian contingent has no placeholders; none of these athletes have made their way to Paris to make up the numbers. By and large, they are all contenders. Some are debutants, some are underdogs, and some others are given an outside chance. Some are even considered favourites now, for a change. But they're all in the running, and that's reason to believe that the Indian athlete has finally arrived.

Divyanshu Singh is COO of JSW Sports.