'We are not able to identify and nurture talent', Sunil Chhetri's blunt take on why India has fewer Olympic medals
We don't win medals despite a population of 1.5 billion, and this is not factually correct because we are not able to identify and nurture the talent of 1.5 billion people.
India is the most populous country in the world, with 1.4 billion people. However, the country has only managed to send 117 athletes, including 70 men and 47 women, competing in 16 sports disciplines to the Paris Olympics 2024.
India has only 38 medals since 1900
This is a fraction of what countries like the United States (637), France (596), Australia (477), Germany (453), and Japan (428) have competing in Paris.
AP
India is also far behind in the medal tally, with just 38 medals so far, out of which seven were won in Tokyo, the country's highest count to date.
Video of Sunil Chhetri goes viral
Now, an old video of former Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri has gone viral, in which he explains why India is not winning medals at the Olympics.
"We don't win medals (at the Olympics) despite a population of 1.5 billion, and this is not factually correct because we are not able to identify and nurture the talent of 1.5 billion people. China, the US, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada¡ªthe ones who do well in the Olympics¡ªare miles better than us," Chhetri said.
PTI
'There is no shortage of talent'
"When people say, 'talent ki kami nahi hai hamari country mei' (there is no dearth of talent in our country), it is 100 percent right. A five-year-old kid in Andaman, who was good in football or javelin throw or cricket, didn¡¯t even know. Threw it once or twice and then disappeared, working in a call center," he added.
Also read: India at the Olympics: Reflecting on past performances
Why India win less medals in Olympics: Sunil Chhetri pic.twitter.com/WF9PrmUFIs
¡ª Gems of Shorts (@Warlock_Shabby) July 31, 2024
What India can do
According to the 39-year-old, who played 151 international matches for his home country, the key to turning around India's fortunes in the Olympics is to identify and nurture talent at the right time.
PTI
"In identifying the talent and nurturing the talent at the right time and with the right procedure, we are way behind. And I don't care if people want to kill me for this; this is the reality," he said.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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