India is a diverse cultural country with huge potential in the realm of sports, but its obvious love for cricket does not allow us to think beyond it, despite the fact that India’s national sport is hockey. There has been some sporadic success in other sports over the years, but Indian policymakers still fail to tap into athletic potential. Building a robust sports culture requires a strategic approach that includes infrastructure development, grassroots initiatives, policy reforms, and societal attitudes.
Infrastructure Development
Infrastructure forms the backbone of building sports culture in India, from Kabaddi to cricket. Addressing the infrastructure deficit is much needed to foster a thriving sports culture. A robust infrastructure will help nurture a pool of talents to spread sports temperament among the populace. But presently, India offers a mixed picture by demarketing a line between urban and rural sports facilities. The major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore have good world-class stadiums and training centres, apart from hosting international events such as Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and so on. Rural areas lack such facilities that hinder grass-roots development and talent identification. There is a dearth of sports facilities in rural areas. Moreover, some populous states like Bihar, Eastern UP, MP, UK, etc. are lagging behind. There seems to be no sports culture at all.
Government Apathy
Inadequate funding by policymakers for other sports except cricket is the main reason for the spread for the spread of sports culture in India. Government schools are lacking sports facilities in India. The majority of schools allow 45 minutes of sports class per week. Lack of sports personalities other than cricket, which is famous socially in India, kills the development of sports culture. Moreover, since India does not produce sports personalities in comparison with its population, it is putting the development of sports culture in brackets. Other than this, corporate funding is not available at grass-roots levels, making it weaker to develop a strong sports culture in India.
Access to coaching and training
There is a huge shortage of qualified and experienced coaching staff and training centres available in India. Talent identification and developing a pool of talents to perform in international events seem unlikely. Economic constraints and educational pressure are another cause of hindrance in building or developing sports infrastructure. Corruption and mismanagement are denting the foundation of sports administration. A professional attitude needs to be inculcated in handling the issues for making a hub of sports.