Targeting top 10 finish at 2036 Olympics: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Interview/ Mansukh Mandaviya, Union sports minister

Q/ What are your expectations from the Paris Games?

A/ My own expectations, like those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are that each person in the 117-athlete contingent will produce the best efforts in keeping with their talent and the amount of hard work in preparing for the world’s biggest celebration of sport. I am confident that India will return with its best performance in an Olympic Games.

Q/ How satisfied are you with the Indian contingent’s preparations?

A/ Since being handed the responsibility of the ministry, I have spent a lot of time visiting the National Centres of Excellence to interact with athletes and coaches. I am confident that each of our athletes is well prepared.

In the current Olympic cycle, the government has spent Rs 470 crore for the 16 disciplines in which athletes have qualified for Paris. From funding their training and competition, in India and abroad, to helping them with the best coaching and support staff, the government has done everything.

Q/ What specific measures has the government taken to help the contingent give a good fight, and to tone up India’s position on the global sports map?

A/ First, the government has always worked keeping the athlete on the centre-stage. Be it in sanctioning 890-plus international exposure [trips] or funding athletes to be stationed overseas for long spells, be it flying them to secure the best sports medicine and sports science support or be it in helping them work with reputed foreign coaches, the government has undertaken a number of steps to empower them to showcase their best efforts in Paris. In all this, we have worked closely with the National Sports Federations and the Indian Olympic Association. This time, our 117 athletes are supported by 140 coaches and support staff, with a 13-member medical team as well.

Q/ The other part of the question…

A/ A large percentage of our population does not play recreational sport, let alone competitive sport. The government is making efforts to get more people to play sport by spreading physical literacy to the entire range of our population to improve the overall health of our people and reduce lifestyle diseases. This will create a wider pool of talent to draw from so that India marks its presence more tellingly on the global sports landscape.

Q/ The last time Paris hosted the Olympics, India, then under the British, had sent 13 athletes. Now there are 117. But the most medals that India has won in a single edition is seven. Why do you think India is moving at such a slow pace?

A/ We must not view Olympic sport only through the prism of medals to gauge growth and evolution. We should look at the number of World Championship medals Indians win nowadays. We should look at how Indian athletes reflect the fearlessness of ‘New India’ and are able to express themselves on the global stage.

Take athletics, for example. There is a reason the government has spent nearly Rs100 crore on track and field athletes in the present Olympic cycle. If we look through the prism of the number of Indians making it to the finals in World Championships, we will find evolution. We will work to close the gap between reaching finals and making it to the podium.

Having said that, the government will work with all stakeholders to ensure a faster rate of growth. Some of the steps that have already been taken include the identification of disciplines in which the number of medals is large and where Indian athletes can be competitive. We are investing in cycling and are confident that breakthrough performances will not take long in coming.

Q/ Do you think the Wrestling Federation of India controversy could have hampered the preparations of the grapplers?

A/ The resilience of Indian wrestling is such that it has a strong representation in the Paris Games. And I can say with confidence that all wrestlers who will compete in Paris will go there with the best preparation behind them.

Q/ The Target Olympic Podium Scheme, a flagship programme of the sports ministry, completes a decade this year. How do you evaluate its success and are there plans to increase investment?

A/ Envisaged by Modi ji, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme has plugged many gaps that existed in the system when it came to supporting elite athletes in their quest to win medals for the country. To my mind, it has been very successful in attaining its core objectives by addressing proposals from our athletes with alacrity. I can tell you that there has been no cap on the amount of spends through TOPS. The Mission Olympic Cell evaluates each proposal, and the ministry acts on its recommendations.

Q/ What other plans are in the pipeline to improve sporting infrastructure?

A/ While sports is a state subject in the Constitution, the Central government has never hesitated in funding sports infrastructure projects across the country. The Central government supplements their (states and Union territories) efforts through the Khelo India Scheme’s utilisation, and creation and upgradation of sports infrastructure vertical. I am happy to share that the Khelo India Scheme has funded more than 300 sports infrastructure projects to the tune of Rs3,000 crore.

Aware that coaching standards at all levels need improvement, the ministry is working towards improving coach education in our country. We have encouraged the NSFs to make sure that their coaches are abreast of the latest knowledge systems through the respective international federation’s coaching programmes. I am personally invested in this aspect of sport in our country as I believe it is the key to us emerging a stronger sporting nation.

Q/ What do you think of more and more corporates getting into the sports ecosystem? How is the government leveraging this investment?

A/ The increased interest is welcome, indeed, but we must remember that Indian sport has been supported by corporate India over many years. I am particularly pleased that public sector undertakings like NTPC and REC (Rural Electrification Corporation) India have taken the lead in supporting disciplines like archery, boxing, badminton and athletics. Coal India has funded the establishment of hostels for the trainees in Bengaluru, Sonipat and Gwalior. There has been effort to structure the CSR support in specific sports like weightlifting and even middle- and long-distance running.

Q/ What do you make of India’s bid for the 2036 Olympic Games? Is it a realistic target?

A/ Of course, it is a realistic target. A lot of work is being done behind the scenes and the IOA leadership is constantly in touch with the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission that assesses every bid. The government will extend all support to the IOA to ensure that all requirements as per the bid documents and processes are met in time.

Q/ If India gets the 2036 bid, what should be the target for the country in terms of medals at the Olympics?

A/ It is way too early to speak of medal predictions. However, we are hoping that India will have made the strides to be in the top 10 on the medal tally by doing well in a number of disciplines.

Q/ India is pushing for the inclusion of yoga in the 2036 Olympics. What are the challenges ahead in promoting it as a global sport?

A/ The ancient Indian discipline is now emerging as a competitive sport run by a world body. You will be aware of Modi ji’s efforts to get yoga global recognition by having the United Nations declare June 21 as International Yoga Day. I am confident that such efforts will popularise yoga as a globally competitive sport. We have seen yoga being introduced as a medal discipline in the Khelo India Games and the National Games as well. The addition of yoga in the Asian Games sets a positive precedent for its potential future inclusion in the Olympic Games.

Q/ India ranked at the top of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of dope offenders for 2022. What are the measures being taken to educate athletes and coaches about the dangers of doping?

A/ First and foremost, it must be considered that the number of Adverse Analytical Findings was a result of the National Anti-Doping Agency’s sustained testing programme across the country and at all levels. The number of tests and the targeted testing have produced these results, serving as a deterrent to other athletes. I am sure that NADA will continue its good work in the war against doping. The one truth is that dopers will be caught, sooner or later.

Besides an effective testing programme, NADA has been conducting numerous workshops and education programmes during various competitions. It has made available an app for athletes to ensure that any medication they are prescribed does not contain banned substances. India has also established a nutrition supplement testing centre in the National Forensic University in Gandhinagar to certify that batches of these supplements are free of banned substances.

Yet, despite such sustained efforts, some athletes seek shortcuts. We are making athletes at all levels aware of the dangers of doping, especially to their own health and the image of the country.