India Needs to Join the Race
Rana Sarkar*
If the Olympic movement is a metaphor for globalisation, as argued in Vision’s introduction to this collection, then India, and with it a sixth of humanity, have failed to show up. Somehow, the Silver medal it won as an undivided colonial administration in the Paris games in 1900 turned into a paltry bronze by Sidney in 2000, and only just upgraded to another silver in Athens - the first individual medal won by an Indian athlete in any games. A shocking performance by any standard with far reaching consequences for India's ability to project soft power and importantly, its self regard, and as I argue elsewhere, if left unaddressed, will disproportionately affect India's claim to global power in the 21st Century.
Globalisation has indelibly altered the syntax of international power, where tank counts and GDP data have long since ceased, if they ever were, to be reliable indicators of how power is distributed amongst nations. In this changed world, whether they realize it or not, the reward increasingly goes to those successful in winning global mind-share and raising their currency through their globally resonant cultural production and symbolic events. Economic flows and agenda setting power often follow these successes. Sport, predictably, has emerged as a platform for real and symbolic competition and the Olympic medals tables has become an undeniable global standard and unofficial barometer for national prestige everywhere.
In this new economy of regard, sporting cultures often do well. Australia, where sport and sportiness is a defining feature of national identity, stands to benefit in the decades ahead from its enhanced prestige as a successful Olympic host, but also the leader amongst non-micro states in medals per citizen.
After Athens, in India and abroad, hundreds of column inches have been dedicated to unraveling the puzzle of Indian under performance. Some take the form of wounded lament, but the question most frequently posed goes how can a continent-sized country of more than a billion amidst a transformative economic boom and arguably poised on the verge of super-powerdom, produce so few world class athletes?
The immediate responses include a paucity of an international sporting tradition. As a world onto itself, competitive horizons have been inter-regional and national - a relatively low bar by global standards.This, combined with a lack of world-class facilities, its growing middle-classes, who can afford the non-instrumental luxury of competitive sport, crowed into cities with few facilities, sponsorship structures and little cultural support for amateur athletes, or, at least those not competing for a role on the national cricket team - India's first national obsession.
Class, race, caste, religion, history and India's beguiling lattice work of human division undoubtedly play a role. Aestheticized physical pursuits are not part of the recent tradition of the ruling elites. However, the success of Indian athletes in the diaspora, from medal winning US gymnast Mohini Bhardwaj to Fijian Vijay Singh, now the world's number one golfer, has put paid to the idea, fashionable amongst the same crowd that once held forth on the supposedly irredeemable 'Hindu rate of growth', that there is something unsporting in the Indian DNA.
Olympic success is not rocket science. The application of concerted resources, coaching, sponsorship and selection, over several Olympic cycles, under the umbrella of a far sighted national committee usually yields results.
Indian leaders cannot afford to leave this appalling record unaddressed. However, there are signs that national leaders are beginning to get the picture. Affluence, ubiquitous satellite television, the increased profile of international competitions and importantly, a growing internationalisation of regard amongst Indian elites, fuelled by completive embarrassment and a keen eye on the global symbolic agenda, will propel the process.
Official India's competitive focus is set on ensuring India joins the high-table of international regard along side other mega-states, the US, Russia, united Europe and particularly China, where the communist tradition international sporting investment as a means of conveying soft power has paid off handsomely. In this instance, India's China syndrome might ensure official bureaucracies and turgid apathies might be set aside. Recognizing the new terrain of power, the India Brand Equity Foundation, a new body of powerful worthies from government and industry, have even made a successful Olympic bid by 2020 part of their mission. Their success will be the measure of India's real commitment to global super power status and a metaphor for the Olympian spirit of dedication to overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
London, September 5th 2004
* Rana Sarkar is a Canadian writer and management consultant living in London.He is currently completing a book on how nations enhance their soft power through managing their image and the possibilities for 'guerilla public diplomacy'.
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