What now of the future? Does this victory mean the arrival of a national Olympic culture? Or will we clap our hands in glee and return to our daily dose of cricket after the Games are over? In the euphoria of victory, it is important to remember that at least 15 corporate houses turned down pleas to sponsor the Indian shooters before the Olympics. Bindra deserves the nation’s highest accolades and corporate coffers will now open up for him like Alladin’s cave but the true legacy of this victory will lie in whether money can now be made available to build the training superstructure for other athletes. Make no mistake. This is no flash-in-the-pan victory. Bindra is only part of a phalanx of world-class Indian shooters that have emerged in the past decade. Monday was his moment but each member of the Indian shooting team is capable of winning a medal. This is the terrifying beauty of sport, its unpredictability. This is why we watch it because it showcases all that is glorious and tragic about human nature; all that is uncertain and indescribable. The key is to invest in having enough people at the top echelon of any sport, for one to click when the moment comes.

For those that look longingly across the border at China’s awe-inspiring sporting machine, remember that the Chinese too built their success by focusing on key sports initially — gymnastics, table tennis, badminton and athletics. We cannot hope to replicate the Chinese model blindly. The organisation of Indian sport is far too complicated and far too political to allow for a uni-linear approach like the Chinese or the East Europeans before them. Like Indian democracy, Indian sport too has evolved its own unique model, distinct from everyone else. When Kapil’s Devils won the cricket World Cup in 1983, no one could have predicted that the surprise victory, coinciding with the television revolution, would ignite deeper processes that would ultimately turn India into the spiritual and financial heart of the global game. Now Bindra’s gold has created another opportunity that if harnessed well could well usher in a new era in Indian sport.

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