New Delhi, Jan 18: At a recent presentation by the Gujarat sports minister and the IOA president in Lausanne, outlining India’s plans to host the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad, the International Olympic Committee pointed out three areas where India needs significant improvement before submitting a formal bid.
First, sports governance must improve. Second, India needs to address its disastrous doping record. Third, Olympic performance must improve, as India currently averages only around six medals per Games.
The first major international tournament where India was tested against these benchmarks was the ongoing India Open 750 badminton tournament, and it failed on most of the points flagged by the IOC.
Despite it being the second consecutive year of hosting the tournament, there was no improvement in the unhealthy court conditions.
On the first day, organisers brushed aside concerns by claiming that only one international player had objected.
However, matters worsened when bird droppings fell on the court during a match, an incident broadcast live to viewers around the world, forcing the Badminton Federation to finally acknowledge its failure.
As the tournament unfolded, the performance of our so-called top stars was dismantled one by one.
The first to fall was our pride, P.V. Sindhu, who lost to a Vietnamese player in the early rounds. Kidambi Srikanth, H.S. Prannoy, and Lakshya Sen, to their credit, fought hard in their defeats, but nonetheless, India had no representatives reaching the semifinals.
The only positives came from younger players such as Tanvi Sharma, Ayush Shetty, and Malvika Bansod, who put up encouraging performances in their matches.
Thankfully, on the issue of doping, India’s badminton players have not tested positive so far.
Overall, India would probably receive a “C” grade for this tournament in an independent assessment.
Once again, it is time to wake up and make the most of the opportunities provided.