China’s own pursuit of Olympic excellence — Project 119 — involved gunning for gold in sports like swimming and canoeing, all of which are over-represented in the medals table, while systematically conquering their traditional strengths like badminton and table tennis. Less cynically, we should identify the areas where we can actually accomplish something by dint of demonstrable talent or predisposition — archery, badminton, boxing, shooting and tennis.
Given the state’s proven incompetence, it is corporate investment that can make the clinching difference for India. Look at the MRF pace academy, and our long roster of fast bowlers. But even if Lakshmi Mittal or ex-champions Prakash Padukone and Geet Sethi are willing to lavish other Indian sports with money and attention, these initiatives shouldn’t be expected to turn out a batch of champions instantly. Bhiwani produces a winner, and a redoubtable crop of boxers, only because of the years of patient rigour that went into training and practice. Along with infrastructure, India desperately needs a sporting ethos, one where performance is monitored and applauded, where effort and persistence at a game do not feel like time-sinks or a great gamble of superhuman self-belief. If companies like Toyota can employ Olympic gold medallists, it is possible to conceive a comparable situation in India, where being good at a game can be materially rewarding. If the Indian middle class wants to bask in the glow of a few Olympic golds, then it must be prepared to not just throw money at it, but also refine its search and target the big spend.
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