First fix our sporting gaps, then host Olympics

Nikhat Zareen, File pic

After India's bid to host the Olympics 2036, two-time world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen said that while the bid would motivate sportspersons we need to establish Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres in every state to nurture sports development.

The bid has strong Indian government support, yet, the boxer told news agencies that we need to up the number of centres and they should be accessible to all juniors who are training to break into higher ranks and reach world levels in their sport.

While it may be a moment of pride to win an Olympics hosting bid, there is certainly something to be said towards ensuring a solid base and only then thinking of becoming an Olympics host. We must see great infrastructure, right from the grass-roots level and money should be channelised towards talent spotting, nurturing, equipment accessibility, training grounds and centres, medical help, support for families of athletes rather than simply hosting big-ticket events.

Our country needs a sporting ecosystem, where champions are produced through a proper, regulated and government-financed or at least properly financed system. Current champions should also be given the rewards promised and have a framework to make them stay in the game. For example, our current focus should not really be the 2036 Olympics, but the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games, where India has to look to better its Paris performance. With a string of fourth-place finishes, there has to be a definite action plan towards closing that gap between the podium and the fourth place. Training should have already started.

Build a rock-solid sporting base and then, think of hosting global events.