Should India host the Olympics, and other key questions in Indian sports

Growing professionalism in Indian sports has yielded rich dividends in the last few years, including the first gold for shuttler PV Sindhu after four other medals at the World Championships. (Illustration by Suneesh K)

There was a time when sport had a lot to do with personal fervour and nationalistic pride. Winning had an inherent sense of simplicity to it, and besides the recognition that it brought athletes, it was also the means to a livelihood for quite a few of them.

Those days are a contrast to how professional sport is perceived today, a complex engagement in these times of commercialisation. The reasons to play remain more or less the same, but there’s a lot more at stake when it comes to performing at the highest level. And of course, winning.

Over the years, Nandan Kamath has donned multiple avatars in sport. He’s been an ardent fan, typically starting a newspaper from the back page like any true sports fanatic would. He’s been an aspiring athlete, turning out for his alma mater and on the cusp of making his first-class cricket debut before injury ruled him out.

Penguin; 448 pages; Rs799.

As he pursued a conventional law career in the United States, Indian sports constantly tugged at his heartstrings and eventually brought him home. Today, he is the co-founder of the non-profit GoSports Foundation, which supports and mentors promising talent. And it is this role of a facilitator that has brought him the closest to the world of professional sport.

In Boundary Lab, Kamath reflects on the many components that have become an integral part of modern sport today, much before a ball is bowled or the whistle announces the start of an encounter. And as a ringside observer in his latest role, he highlights all things good, bad and ugly, especially when it comes to Indian sports.

First, the ‘good’. Over the last few years, professionalism in sport has made training, planning and execution more streamlined for Indian athletes. This in turn has brought stellar results and led to a number of firsts. To highlight a few, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian world champion and Olympic gold medallist in track and field; India managed its biggest medal haul at the Asian Games in Hangzhou; a maiden Thomas Cup triumph in 2022 for the men in badminton and the first gold for shuttler PV Sindhu after four other medals at the World Championships; a silver for R Praggnanandhaa, a first for an Indian teenager at the Chess World Cup. There are a lot of other accomplishments to add to the list. But more importantly, in a country where cricket still grabs eyeballs, it was a welcome change to see the spotlight move away from it on regular occasions.

However, the good work on the field has often been undone by the affairs off it. Indian sports federations routinely feature as part of the ‘bad’ for the way they continue to run their affairs. Not much has changed over the years. A Sports Code drafted in 2011 to define the standard procedures for sports bodies couldn’t do much either. Some federations have become fiefdoms of disrepute and dishonour. They are often run by folks who’ve had little to do with sport and have now taken on the task of shaping the future of sports professionals. And with quite a lot to lose, the affected athletes prefer to meekly submit to their authority, instead of voicing their opinion and risking missed opportunities.

For example, Kamath highlights multiple occasions when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has run the sport as it has pleased and made decisions that have best suited them in cases of match fixing and conflict of interest. Reforms proposed by the court of law were waited out and eventually, simply ignored.

Over the years, top bosses have come and gone, but there has been little change in the working of these federations.

That brings us to the ‘ugly’. Nothing quite justifies the fate of Indian wrestlers and the treatment meted out to them over the last few months. Most of these are athletes who have won many accolades in the past and are today in their prime, hungry for more. However, instead of putting on their best efforts on the mat, they were out on the streets, calling out the wrongs of the administrators and demanding justice, all for a brighter future for wrestling.

So, in the larger scheme of things, where does Indian sport stand today? One look at the budget announced earlier this month, a whopping INR 3,442 crore, tells you two things. Firstly, funds aren’t a problem anymore when it comes to training prospective champions, especially when private bodies have stepped up to fill in the missing links where public infrastructure has been lacking. But at the same time, it leaves tremendous scope for mismanagement if the big bucks were to go in the wrong hands. Time and again, there have been reports about the lack of transparency, conflict of interest and nepotism in Indian sport. These root causes of corruption have affected everything from team selection to favouritism in handing out contracts.

The affairs of sports governance have routinely made the wrong news. This book has a lot to say about how things have panned out for Indian sport behind the scenes. Each account starts with an engaging question, one that is certain to pique the reader’s curiosity. Kamath sheds light on various issues related to Indian sport such as performance, ethics, infrastructure, development and livelihoods, and often brings up the global context for comparison. His legal expertise also hands insights into cases related to fundamental rights, sport governance, intellectual property, and media and acquisition rights.

Besides reflecting on the highs and lows of Indian sport, the book also delves into a number of intriguing issues such as the fate of transgender athletes today, the success of the Indian Premier League where other leagues have failed, and how the influence of fans will be key in the years ahead.

India’s true sporting potential should be seen beyond just cricket, a game played by a handful of nations. Truth is, for one of the largest economies of the world, our performance at the Olympics has been dismal. For this house to be in order, there needs to be a watchdog to ensure the credibility of the governing bodies of sport. And the creation of better infrastructure, especially for the grassroots. Perhaps the answer lies in public-private partnerships or through well executed independent leagues that can provide another platform for athletes to hone their skills. It’s the only way the focus can be on grooming athletes, keeping in mind their future goals. And as the author says, hosting the Olympics isn’t the solution to make India a great sporting nation.

Kamath patiently looks at the background for each of his arguments, which may seem like a stretch at times for those who follow sport. But the long-drawn narration certainly works to engage the non-sporting audience.

It is a well-rounded narrative on how Indian sport has evolved over the last few decades. And why it deserves a chance despite all its flaws.

Boundary Lab: Inside the Global Experiment Called Sport (Penguin Viking) by Nandan Kamath releases on February 29, 2024. It available for pre-order on Amazon and other sites.