A nation of 1.4 billion people, claiming itself to be a world economic power, ended its campaign in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games without getting anywhere near showcasing a world champion in sports.

Why are we not able to produce world champions in sports? It is a million-rupee question that the country is either reluctant or refuses to answer.

India tally of six medals – a silver and five bronze medals – even fails to equal what the country achieved in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In the past four years, we lost the only World champion title – Neeraj Chopra in javelin throw – we had.

India lost it to its neighbor that is torn by strife, has its economy shattered and struggling to survive.

Compared to 117-strong squad sent by India, Pakistan’s contingent comprised of only seven people, of which only two – the new Olympic champion in javelin Nadeem Ashraf and his coach – were financed by the Pakistan Sports Control Board.

India has a population of 1.4 billion that is spread across states that are larger than many countries. About 200 million people live in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Pakistan is much smaller, but is still the world’s fifth most populous country, with more than 230 million people.

Geographically, India is almost four times bigger than Pakistan.

Since Independence, India has won hockey gold five teams, including the last it won from a depleted field in Moscow in 1980 while Pakistan has won three times.

India has won only two individual gold medals in Olympic Games. The first of which came in shooting – Abhinav Bindra – in 2008 Beijing Olympic games and second in the Tokyo Olympic Games through javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.

Many other Asian nations are far ahead of India. China shared the top spot with the USA with 40 gold medals each. Japan and Korea are other Asian superpowers in sports. They continue to be among top eight sporting nations of the world.
Other than them, Islamic Republic of Iran, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, Philippines and Indonesia had two gold medals each in the just concluded Olympic Games. Countries like Israel, Thailand and Pakistan also ended on the medals tally with a gold medal each.

India, however, draws its consolation that 21 of its 117 athletes that went to Paris came back with medals hanging around their necks. Sixteen of these medals – bronze – came from hockey and three from shooting. Only other medal won by India was a bronze in wrestling.

India feels contended with consolatory medals, generally bronze and sometime with silver, and probably lack the will or capability to win gold medals. As a true sporting nation, we keep gold for others and feel content with silver and bronze.