Why does India win so few Olympic medals?

Here’s an interesting fact: despite a population of more than 1 billion, India has won a grand total of 18 Olympic medals which are mostly in field hockey.There are many obvious hypotheses, all of which may be partially right, yet one would think these apply to zillions of other countries that nevertheless have non-trivial Olympic presences.

So what is it?

My guess would be lack of government subsidies, combined with the possibility that non-democratic, authoritarian governments feel greater need to prove themselves on the international stage and to their people at home. The subsidies matter for the infrastructure as much as for the athletes. Throw in low social mobility, nutrition problems, and the relative lack of TV to inspire the young 'uns and you've got my answer. the mentality of Indians or lack of spirit for sports.

The population explosion has increased the opportunity cost of pursuing sports as a career. To excel at any sport, it is necessary to dedicate yourself to it for years. If today, a kid decides to pursue a sport full time, down the line he/ she will not have the opportunity to catch up with the other kids who have been busy studying advanced math etc that would train them to be doctors or engineers. It is only the best of the lot that end up having well paying jobs. India has abt 50 million people who are unemployed right now. It is more than likely that he/ she will end up working a job that barely pays enough to support a family.

In India, sports is not given any chance. It is culture , i think. When a kid shows some interest in sports, parents stop him "Hey, only if you study well, u can earn lot". Cricket is the only "paying" sport right now in India and i see lot of parents encourage cricket "interest" in children. Other sports don't have bright future in India.Also, for many individuals, it is a question of survival. The population has made the race to the top extremely competitive and the criteria for measurement is the kid's aptitude in math/sciences for the most part. Sports are meant only for recreation - that too if you have some time left over from studying.

People will invariably argue that China has been excelling at Olympics despite its population being larger than India's. They should not forget the emphasis that the Government of China places on good showing at that stage. This is severely lacking in India.

Population is an important reason for the poor showing, but hardly the only one.
If a nation struggles to feed its people on a daily basis, lacks proper roads and sanitation, training an Olympic-caliber athlete in any sport becomes more challenging than the actual Games.

We're culturally obsessed with a lot of things, but nobody I've ever met is so obsessed with everything. Some do love sports, where sometimes people make headlines for their obsession. But the same happens when people become obsessed with money, drugs or even religion to some degree. People will always be around to criticize the hobbies of others, but isn't that the right attitude.


Written by: Neha Gupta