India’s Olympic Future: Strategies for success beyond Paris games

This was one of the best Olympics for India and things will only get better each year.

Day before yesterday the Olympics 2024 ended with a grand closing ceremony, not before Tom Cruise announced the 2028 Olympics in the land of Hollywood.

The 2024 Olympics, like many earlier editions, was a mixed bag for India. Arguably, it was one of the best Olympic contingents from India. In this Olympics, we had 15-16 serious medal contenders but ended with a 40% success rate. Many other nations significantly improved their performance this year. In the previous Olympics, COVID-19 created a somewhat level playing field, leading to a 70% hit rate for India.

To hit a 15-medal benchmark in 2028 games in Los Angeles, India needs to have 30-35 serious contenders. This is what the break-up could look like-

# 2 in cricket

# 4-6 in shooting

# 3-4 in wrestling

# 2-3 in boxing

# 1-2 in Archery

# 1-2 in badminton

And of course, 1 each in Javelin & Hockey

Choosing fewer sports but going deeper should be the goal for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The pursuit of Olympic medals must be managed as a separate programme by the appropriate stakeholders. We need a dedicated budget specifically for the Olympics to achieve 15 medals. Other sports and athletes can have separate funding, which already exists. By 2026, we should identify 30-40 athletes capable of winning medals. Currently, across various sports NGOs, there are 100 Olympians, but probably only 20 are real contenders.

We need to separate our sports development budgets and Olympic Medal budgets. It has to be multi-tier-

Tier 0: For the top 35-40 athletes. This should be an athlete funding programme, not a sports development programme. It should be led by a top ex-athlete and competent sports administrators (No netas please, unless it is someone like Rajyawardhan Rathore who dons multiple hats effectively).

To kick start this programme, the government has to provide seed funding and the rest can come from sponsors. It must be run like a crack team with clear goals and milestones. These players should be on contract with a good retainer and all expenses paid for training. The only aim has to be an Olympic medal. We need to get this group together in max 12-18 months. This itself should be run like an independent body which works on sponsorships and corporate funding. Sports Authority of India (SAI), The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MOYAS), and Federations can be trustees or stakeholders but at arm's length. Some part of sponsorship monies can flow to the federations to keep the interests aligned. ‘The National Payments Commission of India’s structure can be a great role model for this body. National Payments Corporation of India (NPC)I have been instrumental in the exponential growth of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the country thanks to quick decision-making and strong frameworks while keeping all the relevant incumbents interested.

Today, the fact that all Olympic contenders are supported by 3-4 different sports NGOs, it’s not turning into a full-fledged programme. There is a lot of duplication of effort and in some cases, the same athlete might be receiving support from multiple sources. We need to combine forces and a consolidated independent body has to be stepped up which can achieve the above. The government should provide seed funding, identify a CEO, hselp create a framework and step aside.

Tier 1: For the next 100 athletes—this is where sports NGOs can step in to support the next 100 athletes. The current Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) can also focus on this in addition to what the other sports NGOs are doing. This will also act as a funnel to tier 0. This needs to be a scouting programme where the focus is on the Olympics two cycles later. The aim of this cohort should be to qualify for the Olympics to compete. Preparation for the medal for serious prospects should be the job of the crack team as mentioned above.

Tier 2: Sports development—This is a long-term process of grassroots development by federations, SAI and many other grassroots organisations. This requires a complete overhaul and a lot of inspiration from what has happened in other countries such as Korea & Australia. This is a much larger conversation and will require a lot of stakeholders to come together to create a blueprint for each sport.

These are some of my thoughts after having spent the last few years working with some elite athletes and also working at grassroots at the same time. I believe that this was one of the best Olympics for India and things will only get better each year.