Building an Olympic generation: What India's sporting vision means for schools

For many years, sports in India were seen as something you did after school, once homework was finished. Academics came first. Sports were important, but rarely that significant. This is now slowly changing.

Today, India is talking about becoming a stronger sporting nation, producing more Olympic athletes, and aspiring to host the Olympic Games. But when we speak about building an Olympic generation, we often start the conversation with medals.

The Olympic journey does not start only with elite athletes or at the Olympics. It probably starts in a school or a neighbourhood playground.

I started playing for India when I was very young. At that age, you don’t understand pathways, long-term development or what it takes to build an International athlete. You simply know that you love playing. You want to train, compete and get better.

Champions are not created in the few years before a big event like the Asian Games or the Olympic Games. Their journey often begins when they are six, eight or ten. And very often that journey begins in school. A child need not be identified as a ‘future Olympian’ at the age of eight. What that child needs is an opportunity to run, jump, swim, throw, play, compete, lose, win and discover what they enjoy. This is where schools have a huge responsibility.

Sports cannot be an extracurricular activity

If India genuinely wants to be a sporting nation, physical education cannot be treated as a free period or something that can be easily replaced when exams approach.Sports need a proper place in the school timetable.

Children need trained coaches, good facilities, regular competitions and opportunities to play throughout the year. More importantly, schools need to build a good sports culture. A good sports culture in school is not only about having good infrastructure or winning tournaments. It is about creating an environment where children want to play, are encouraged to participate and feel proud to represent their school.

This means that sports are given time and importance, good coaches are valued, and achievements are celebrated. Students should be supported when they balance training, competitions and academics. It also means celebrating participation and effort, not just medals.

Most importantly, a strong sports culture is visible in everyday school life, where children talk about matches, cheer for their teams, look forward to practice and want to get better. That is when sport becomes part of the school's identity, rather than simply another activity on the timetable.

Creating better pathways

One of the biggest challenges for a talented young athlete is knowing what comes next.

Schools should collaborate with local academies, district associations, federations, and professional coaches, and provide ample national/international exposure (whenever possible) so that talented athletes have a platform and can gradually move from school sports to district, state, national and international competitions.

At the same time, supporting the talented sports pool of students becomes paramount for schools. I know personally how demanding competitive sport can be. There are early mornings, long training sessions, travel, tournaments, injuries, missed classes and constant pressure to perform. Athletes from a younger age need to feel supported.

With flexible academic support, understanding teachers and good communication among parents, coaches and schools, we can make it possible to pursue both.

The Olympics Generation is bigger than the Olympics

There is another part to this which is equally important. Not every child who plays sport will become an Olympian. And that is absolutely fine.

When children play sport, they learn lessons that stay with them long after the final whistle. They learn life skills. They learn discipline. They learn teamwork. They learn to handle disappointment. They learn that improvement takes effort and time. They learn to lose and come back the next day. These qualities will help them whether they eventually become athletes, doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers, artists or leaders.

So when we talk about India’s Olympic dream, schools should not only ask, “How many champions can we produce?

We should also ask, “How many children can we inspire to appreciate and love sport?”

Because medals are the final result of a much bigger sporting culture. If we want to see more Indian athletes standing on Olympic podiums tomorrow, we have to build playgrounds full of confident, active and fearless children today. That is where India’s Olympic generation will truly begin.

The author is the former Captain of the Indian Women’s Basketball Team. 

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.