India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with athlete Norman Pritchard winning two medals in athletics. Up till now India has won a total of 17 medals, most of them are in hockey. The Indian men’s hockey team won eleven medals in twelve Olympics between 1928 and 1980, which also include six successive gold medals from 1928 to 1956. On the other hand, China first participated in Olympics in 1984. Since then it has emerged as a powerful nation in these games.
This table shows the performance of India in Olympic games.
Now let’s see the medals won by China in last six Olympic games. Then you will realize why I have given the title of post as Tiger(India) is sleeping, Dragon(China) is flying.
This time also, China is strong contender for top three ranks in medals tally whereas India will fight to win at least one or two medals. According to latest updates, India’s Olympic campaign today began on a dismal note as the shooting stars of India, Anjali Bhagwat, Avneet Kaur Sidhu and Samresh Jung, who are being considered the country’s best bets for Olympic medal, fell by the wayside in the qualifying rounds.
Still more than 100 crores of Indians are waiting for a single gold medal from their players. After 1980, India has been unable to win a single gold medal in Olympic games. With India’s population, it surprises many experts that India is not a big force at the Olympics. Actually, we are a one game nation and Cricket is that game. Cricket is almost a religion in India. You can find people playing Cricket in cities, villages, sea beaches, deserts, mountains, even inside their home. That is why India is producing some of the finest players of World Cricket.
Novelist Shashi Tharoor says that Indian always search from bottom to see the rank of India in Olympic games. He also adds “We have all known the shame of waiting day after day for India to appear on the list at all, as countries a hundredth our size record gold upon gold and Indian athletes are barely mentioned among the also-rans.”
Politicians in India say that we are a developing nation so we can’t afford to provide huge infrastructure for the development of games and sports. So there is a lack of training facilities such as gymnasiums, running tracks and swimming pools. But what about poor countries of Africa they are also at higher ranks in medals tally. Take the example of China, see this country which got independence 3 years after our independence is able to host the Olympic games. No doubt, dragon is flying but what I am trying to convey the time has come to awake the tiger.
OK friends let’s stop the discussion here we will continue this when Indian team will return home with one or two bronze medals. By the way, best wishes to Indian squad for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
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