Commonwealth Games 2022 success: Springboard moment for Indian athletics

Monoj Kumar Hazarika

(mkhazarika11@gmail.com)

'Citius, Altius, Fortius' meaning 'Faster, Higher, Stronger's the Olympic motto coined by Father Henri Didon. Indians in recent years are shown to be faster, higher and stronger. In the just concluded Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG), Indian athletes have created many historic moments with their stunning performances which are very significant considering our feeble legacy in Olympic sports. Undoubtedly, these remarkable achievements can be considered the stepping stone for a brighter future in Olympic sports.

When the country is celebrating its 75th year of Independence as "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav", these significant successes were real "Amrit" moments bringing huge cheer to the entire nation. So far, known only for cricket prominence, India has come a long way to make a mark in Olympic sports in the last decade. Consistent performance by all prominent players in boxing, wrestling, table tennis and badminton was extremely satisfying. All our champion and experienced players lived up to their expectations. But, the superlative performances by young stars like Nitu Ghangas in boxing, Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli in weight lifting and Naveen Kumar in wrestling were delightful and heart-warming. Success in an uncommon sport like lawn ball with gold by the women's team and silver by the men's team was also very pleasurable.

But, what stood out in this Birmingham 2022 CWG was the unpredicted excellent show by our athletes in track and field events. Unlike other sports, India was lagging in athletics at major global tournaments and can't boast of a strong legacy, until Neeraj Chopra won the Olympic Gold medal in the men's javelin throw in the last year's Tokyo Olympics. It induced a new lease of hope and inspiration to many fellow athletes – to achieve at the highest level! Maybe, as an aftereffect of it, Indian athletes created historic moments in this 2022 CWG. Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker winning the Gold and silver medal respectively in the men's triple jump event is the best thing in this CWG 2022 games. Avinash Sable's exceptional and sparkling dash in the 3000 metres men's steeplechase challenging the champion Kenyan will be remembered for many years. Success in men's long jump, high jump, women's javelin throws and men's and women's walk races were inspiring. All these achievements were highly significant and crucial to creating a strong legacy and inspiring many young athletes. However, to carry forward this GWG success and attain much bigger achievements in the ultimate event -The Olympics, the hard work should continue and the work in progress in perspective to assistance, support and training facilities should be further enhanced. Apart from individual players' skills, competency, hard work and dedication, one should also look at the present changed and rejuvenated sports ecosystem in the country.

Khelo India initiative: The programme introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establishing India as a great sporting nation. Providing top-notch infrastructure and training of the highest level is helping players to prepare and achieve global standards. The financial assistance of INR 5 lakhs per annum for eight years to identify talented players is allowing them to focus entirely on the sport and excel. The annual khelo India tournaments are also creating healthy domestic competition and making the athlete's games ready. Many young talents emerging out of the remotest places as an outcome of this noble initiative.

Engagement and support from private enterprises: Ever-increasing corporate investment in the promotion and development of sports is very encouraging. Among many corporates, JSW Sports run its flagship program called Sports for Excellence (SEP) which currently supports forty-nine athletes across four disciplines. The SEP provides financial support to these athletes, while also providing opportunities to train under world-class coaches at Olympic training facilities. Some private enterprises' franchise-based leagues will also inspire young stars to not only take sports as a hobby but as a profession as well, which is very important in this modern era. Professionalism brings out the best in oneself.

Advanced preparations and overseas training: As per data obtained, the Indian government has spent a whopping INR 77.46 crore since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to help the country's athletes train and get in shape for medal contention at the Birmingham Games. This expenditure includes a massive INR 42 crore for Foreign exposure trips across sports, INR 22.18 crore for various national camps and INR 13.28 crore on world-class sporting equipment. Also, a total of 111 foreign exposure trips and competitions were arranged for Indian athletes since the Tokyo Olympics. This includes 10 in Athletics, 26 in Badminton, 7 in Boxing, 14 in Hockey, 7 in Para Sports, 23 in Squash, 8 in Table Tennis, 6 in Weightlifting and 10 in Wrestling. The appointment of specialized foreign coaches and support staff has truly helped in the preparation for global events. Success in all the above sports is testimony to this.

'Nothing succeeds like success' as success gets one known and gives confidence and shows the way to future success. The success attained in these CWG games will boost the confidence of all the achievers as well as that of other athletes. Continuing to work and train hard availing of the advanced facilities, Indian athletes in track and field events should consider this CWG 2022 success as their springboard moment to leap further and accomplish greater feats.

India's medal tally of 61 with 22 golds, 16 silver and 23 bronze medals may be well short of the 101 medals tally at the Delhi CWG 2010, and 66 at the Gold coast edition in 2018, but because sports like shooting, archery, Greco roman wrestling and tennis were missing in Birmingham, this can be considered as India's best performance. All athletes deserve the best appreciation for their extraordinary efforts, but achievement in track and field events was the icing on the cake. These historic moments in athletics can create a legacy and usher in a new era in Indian sports. An era of confidence, self-belief, dedication, hard work and more importantly, desire and preparation to achieve the ultimate – The Olympic Gold!