There may have been fewer medals for the Indian contingent this time out at the Asian Games but there was a little more glory in winning back the men’s hockey gold after so long. The value of the team effort not withstanding, the gulf in standards between the Asian level and the Olympics is huge, to bridge which would be an even bigger challenge for the Indian team. India’s eighth position in the medals tally is, perhaps, a reflection of the general constraints of a nation plagued by corruption. The strength of leadership and the systems of governance of some of the top countries of the region are reflected in sporting achievements too.
India has come some way in setting up infrastructure, at least in the main metros, and with free import of the best sporting equipment, our athletes do not anymore suffer from the fear of a better equipped opponent. The incentives the sportspeople receive for medal-winning performances — up to '2.5 crores by the Haryana government — could not have been imagined in the days of amateur sport. What has, however, not migrated out yet from the mind of athletes is the grouse of not being supported by way of sporting facilities and moral and financial support, etc. The sporting scene has changed dramatically since the turn of the millennium; today, nothing really stops the Indian athlete from competing on equal terms with the best except the residual feeling of inferiority. Champions like Mary Kom have proved that sky is the limit.
