Yui Susaki is a wrestler from Japan. Susaki won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Apart from this, she has been a five-time world champion. Before the date of 6 August 2024, she had fought 82 bouts. Out of these 82, she won 82 matches. In the pre-quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics, she faced Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat. Vinesh Phogat defeated her. After this, Vinesh Phogat also reached the semi-finals by winning the next bout. It is possible that Vinesh Phogat may not win the medal. But is it less to defeat a 5-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist?

Let's take another example.

22-year-old Lakshya Sen is the first Indian badminton player to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics. On his way to the semi-finals, he defeated world number-3 player Jonathan Christie. He defeated the semi-finalist of the Tokyo Olympics. Despite this, Lakshya Sen could not win an Olympic medal. Does this reduce his achievement?

Reaching the Olympics is a big deal

In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Aditi Ashok was at number four in a sport like golf. She missed out on an Olympic medal because of just one shot. Earlier, Dipa Karmakar has done such a feat in the sport of gymnastics.

She was also at number four. That is, she missed the bronze medal. There are dozens of such examples in India where Indian athletes were at number four. If they had even an inch of luck, they would have also won medals. Therefore, first of all, their achievement should be saluted. Now coming to the point of the medal connection of the population, first of all, sports lovers have to understand that reaching the Olympics itself is a huge achievement. Just as the brightness of the moon and stars fades in front of the sunlight. The brightness of the Olympic Games is like this. Nothing is bigger than the Olympics.

Why no population medal connection?

Medals in any country do not come from population but from the tradition of sports. They come from sports culture. Sports culture means awareness about sports. Till a few years ago, there was a saying in our country - If you play and jump, you will be spoilt, if you study and write, you will become a prince. People considered children playing in the neighborhood park as mischievous. If the ball accidentally went inside the house, people refused to return it. Sports were associated with hooliganism. Many children were even beaten at home for playing.

All this was because sports was not a career at all.

Career means IAS, PCS or else engineer, doctor. Apart from that, once in six months, one would read a news that such and such player sold his medal to run his house. That day, the children playing at home would face more trouble. Parents would say- read today's newspaper, so and so was a champion. He is running his house by selling medals and you are wasting time playing. Who knows how many Gopichand, Mahesh Bhupathi, Dhanraj Pillai were killed in such homes. Then the time changed and a few Olympic medals came.

The sports in which Olympic medals were won, gained popularity. Their academies opened in small towns. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won a silver medal in shooting in 2004. The next time Abhinav Bindra won a gold medal. Today India is a big force in shooting. Because of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu's badminton medals, we are emerging as a big force in badminton today. Don't forget that cricket became a big sport in India when we won the World Cup in 1983. All these things have nothing to do with population.

If you want a champion, you have to show your strength

The day Saina Nehwal said that she wanted to play badminton, her parents supported her. When Manu Bhaker decided to become a shooter in a place like Jhajjar in Haryana, her parents did not stop her. There are some athletes whose parents quit their jobs and took a risk for their children's career. People from rural areas sold their cattle. Only then are they getting so many medals.

You make 10 PV Sindhus, let 15-20 Neeraj Chopras be made, bring 10-12 Saina Nehwal, Manu Bhaker or Vinesh Phogat and then see that we will also get more medals. But to bring 10 PV Sindhus, 15-20 Neeraj Chopras, 10-12 Saina Nehwal, Manu Bhaker or Vinesh Phogat, we will also have to work hard. We will have to go to the stadiums of our cities, where these players are playing in big tournaments among only 40-50 spectators.

Players need the love of fans

Sports lovers who get beaten up for IPL match tickets will also have to go to watch hockey, shooting, badminton or wrestling matches. This is how players are made. Many years ago, Saina Nehwal told me in an interview - Chinese player in quarter final, Chinese player in semi final, Chinese player in final, what to do, mistakes happen somewhere. We will have to make more players from this population. Otherwise after four years, the same question will remain that why does a country with such a large population get so few Olympic medals. In fact, after four years, the population will have increased even more, so this question will also become bigger.

Leave this question here. We must also accept that sports were not a priority for a large population of the country except for the last two decades. But now sports is also a career. Today players get crores for winning a medal. The government is also openly supporting the players. Schemes like Khelo India Khelo have come. As the thinking changes, the medals will increase.