The article “How many medals will India win at CWG 2010?” (September 4) predicts that India will win just 8 per cent of the total medals in the Commonwealth Games 2010 (60-plus out of 829). This estimate pales into insignificance when one looks at the performance of hosting nations in other international competitions. Countries like South Korea, Japan, China and so on improved their tally appreciably.
The reason is not the dearth of talent in our country but the absence of a strategy to identify, groom, sustain and enhance sporting talent. India needs a compelling vision to craft a cogent sports policy, an energetic sports minister to activate it and a host of specialised sports bodies to operationalise it. Sadly, our sports bodies have contributed little to the success of our players and haven’t paid enough attention to sportpersons’ complaints of ill-treatment and inadequate training facilities.
After evolving a clear sports policy, the country needs to identify the events in which it can compete globally. The country should correct the skewed perception about the popularity of select games. Key positions in a sports body should not be held by politicians. The body should be given the requisite funds and be made accountable to the government.
Y G Chouksey, Pune