How Odisha shows the way in harnessing PPPs to make India a sporting power

With a 2023-24 sports budget of Rs 1,217 cr, Odisha has turned into a sports hotspot

On the evening of October 4, at the Hangzhou Asian Games, India’s No 2 Kishore Jena was challenging Neeraj Chopra for the javelin gold. It was a sight to bring tears of joy to those who have followed the Indian contingents at Asian Games in the decades past, praying for the gold medal tally to hit double digits, and usually getting disappointed.

As it turned out, India ended the Hangzhou games with a medals tally of 107 – 28 of them gold – entering the three-digit territory for the first time and showing a dramatic rise from 70 medals in 2018 and 57 in 2014.

It also shows the progress the country has made over the past dozen years in track and field. 

Throw in the trailblazing performance at the World Athletics Championships, eye-catching results in football, hockey and volleyball, badminton players carrying on their march, and the cricketers winning five out of five so far in the ongoing world cup, all of them emphatically, and this seems to be a good time to be an Indian sportsperson.

What makes this stand out is the way sports has harnessed the power of the public-private partnership (PPP). Jena’s rise from an also-ran to being the man who pushed Chopra to his best throw of the season is a testament to the scouting, coaching, funding and preparation that finds, nurtures, and grooms an athlete to succeed at the continental stage. At the forefront of this is Odisha.

“Just to give an example of how committed we are towards developing and progressing Indian sport, it’s perhaps best to discuss budgets,” says Vineel Krishna, secretary, sports and youth services, Odisha government. “I believe the yearly budget of the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports is approximately Rs 3,000 crore and our state budget is almost half that.” 

A quick check shows the Union ministry’s budget for 2023-24 is Rs 3,397.32 crore and Odisha’s Rs 1,217 crore. This has turned Odisha into India’s sports hotspot. Over the past few years, the state has hosted the Hockey World Cup, the Hero Intercontinental Cup for Football, the Athletics Nationals, the Khelo India University Games, the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and numerous other events in its facilities across Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Rourkela. 

Where other states have been cautious about spending on sports infrastructure — more so in the unseemly aftermath of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi — Odisha has marched on. It seems counterintuitive for a state with a small catchment area for athletes, but Krishna says the vision is not restricted to medals and accolades.

“The Chief Minister has been very clear that this investment cannot be looked at in the traditional way of seeking returns, but, instead, considered long-term,” he says. “No one questions the merits of building big hospitals, schools, etc. In the same way, the government is focused on the holistic development of sport within society.”

Indian hockey team

 A match made in sporting heaven

Historically, there has been distrust between those working in the government and private investors, in most areas and so also in the sporting arena. Government budgets far outstrip private investment and their scouting networks and athlete development programmes are well-entrenched. This, say officials, does not always get sufficient recognition.

“Private investors often come after we have prepared the athlete and created a strong foundation for their success,” says a government official who does not wish to be named.

Where private investors and public administrators work in happy harmony, wonders can happen. Neeraj Chopra is a jewel in the JSW Sports crown as well as a huge win for the Sports Authority of India. JSW Sports has elevated Chopra’s ability to compete, travel, and gain from high-level coaching. He is also very much part of the government’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which gives promising athletes access to funding, foreign camps, coaching and a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000. TOPS currently has 270 athletes in its fold, some of whom are shuttler PV Sindhu, wrestler Bajrang Punia, and boxer Nikhat Zareen. 

By most accounts, it has been a fruitful partnership between the Central government (SAI, TOPS and advisory groups) and private investors.

Pros and cons

Odisha earlier this year extended its sponsorship of the Indian hockey team by 10 years. Under this, the state government gives Hockey India Rs 434.12 crore for developing the sport across the country including at the grassroots level. The state gets the privilege of regularly hosting global hockey events. This sponsorship dates back to 2018, and has been a fruitful one for both parties. But Odisha is not stopping at hockey.

“While obviously our partnership with hockey goes back a long way, we also want to expand into other sports,” Krishna says. “We have hosted, in collaboration with the AIFF (All India Football Federation) a football event earlier this year and hope to do much more in the coming years.”

Other states such as Karnataka and Goa have also tried to create workable relationships with private investors.

Krishna recognises the benefits as well as challenges of government involvement. “No one can rival the access to infrastructure, facilities or budgets the government has,” he says. “But yes, obviously, the way of working in the government is different. Things take time…. That’s why we are collaborating with different private investors. At a broad level, we can create and give access to infrastructure, whether stadiums or high-performance centres.”

The problem, he says, is related to people. “Once we employ someone, they are within the government system with a government job and the motivation required to constantly push the boundaries of success disappears,” he says. “Sometimes athletes need personalised programmes, rehab, etc, which requires flexibility that only corporate entities can give. So we use them for that.”
 

He lists the corporate groups the state is working with: Tata for hockey, JSW for swimming, Reliance Foundation for athletics, Dalmia Bharat for badminton, Aditya Birla group for shooting, and Arcelor Mittal for gymnastics.  

Shooters Esha Singh and Palak Gulia celebrate after winning medals at Asian Games 2022, in Hangzhou, China

 A sporting afterlife

As everyone basks in the glory of India’s recent sporting successes, athletes can be forgiven for wondering what comes next, whether there will be further development, increased funding, access to cash prizes or, most important, a government. 

India’s current sporting ecosystem caters to those at the top of the pyramid, at the pinnacle of sporting success. It is not much different from any other neo-liberal model of sports development. For the mid-range athlete who is only good enough for, say, the nationals, the allure of a government job is real.

Most states offer athletes jobs and promotions within the sports quota. Traditionally, states that produce a lot of athletes, such as Haryana, Maharashtra, and Kerala, offer the most jobs within the quota and even outside it. They effectively allow sports to be a career choice in addition to a lifestyle choice. 

“Obviously, that is our end game, too,” Krishna says. “We have partnered with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to do the Olympic Value Education Programme, which is being conducted in around 250 schools in the state. And we also ensure that developing athletes have access to education. The idea isn’t just to win medals. It is to create a healthy society and engage with youth focussed on sport... Develop a sports culture… that can sustain.”

If the culture sustains, so will the medals tally.