Nationwide statistics say, that about 27% of the country’s population is under 15 years of age. This statistic is a double-edged sword as it provides scope for many opportunities and management nightmares for the establishment. While it is common knowledge that sports participation helps the entire nation in multiple ways, many factors are hampering this exponential growth we can experience. Today, let us take a look at the challenges the sports scenario in India faces to overcome these obstacles for a brighter future.

Administrative and Bureaucratic issues: In India, there are very limited standardized ways to run sports organizations. Every association functions autonomously creating managerial issues. Add to that, multiple state and central-level organizations are creating further legislative lapses. We all know that age-old adage that cricket is a religion in India. While this shows passion for the sport, it also means that other sports are generally de-prioritized. When a major chunk of the national funding is directed towards a single sport, it creates issues of unequal funds distribution. We have athletes in other sports like badminton, hockey and track and field events. However, these athletes get comparatively less support required to achieve their goals.

Lack of facilities and Infrastructure: Because of the aforementioned funding issues, there is a dearth of high-quality infrastructure and facilities that athletes require for training. Athletes and sportspersons require state-of-the-art technology, stadia, equipment, travelling facilities, conditioning camps, nutrition and anti-doping awareness initiatives among many more. These facilities are not easily accessible, leaving the athletes no choice but to opt for private funding. This is not possible for everybody. While the infrastructure is improving in urban areas and metro cities, the percolation is less in rural areas, where there are many gold mines of talent. These barriers hamper many people to achieve their full potential and excel in their field.

Prejudices and Biases: A career in sports is almost always discouraged in Indian families. There are prejudices in this regard and more often than not children are urged to follow a career in academics and become doctors, engineers or finance professionals. There is also a misconception that a career in sports is short-lived. While this is partially true, a sportsperson can opt for various ancillary vocations for a successful career in sports. A good career in sports is actually as or more lucrative than many other careers. Another aspect is that our athletes face a lot of pressure to not just perform well but excel in their field because of the fans. This can lead to a lot of stress for the athletes leading to burnout or their resorting to unethical means like doping and fixing.

Cultural Barriers: Many cultural barriers in our country do not let our stars shine. In India, we see a pattern of athletes getting support, benefits and perks after achieving success rather than at a stage where they actually need support, which is pre-success. Added to that we see a lot of funding funnelled towards male, urban athletes as compared to women and rural athletes. There have also been allegations of bias, lobbying and sexism at all levels of sports selections making matters worse. India does not have a sound sporting culture imbibed from schools and colleges like other countries do. As we see in European countries and others like the USA, or even China and Japan, academic establishments facilitate students to pursue a career in sports via their robust selection and quota processes right from a young age.

India needs to revamp the current state of affairs if we want to create world-class athletes. There is abundant untapped potential in the country and we need to help them achieve their dreams. This will not only achieve individual success but also help in the collective progress of the country. At Union Sport, we have an athlete-centric approach and a clear vision of making a positive impact on the sporting scenario in India. We have a single-minded mission to provide all athletes with the necessary resources to shine in their sports journey. We at Union Sport are driven to create a community where every athlete can grow equitably and discover opportunities for a brighter future for India. Check out our website and join the community, where together, we can make a difference!