India's Olympic Gap: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says we don't even play half the games
India participated in only 16 of the 32 games at Paris Olympics 2024.
Here is a number worth thinking about. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, India competed in just 16 of 32 sports. That means there were more than a hundred medal events in which a single Indian athlete did not participate. These were not events India lost in. They were events India never even entered.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about this problem directly at the Khelo India Dialogue on Thursday. He said that the country must face the truth it if it wants to become a real sporting power before the 2036 Olympics.
“In the Olympics, there are so many different sports… Indian teams don’t even participate in half of them, which means that we are not competing for a major chunk of the medal tally,” PM Modi said, speaking to athletes, students and volunteers gathered across the country.
This is not a new issue, and PM did not try to hide that. He looked back at 2012, when India took part in only 13 sports at the Olympics. “We were not even there in over 20 events, and not many in the country even knew about some of these competitions,” he said. More than ten years later, that gap has only closed a little.
Related: LA Olympics 2028: Check full competition schedule, dates, venues of all sports
PM Modi’s push for new sports
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
So, what does the PM Mod think the answer is? Not just working harder at the sports India already plays but taking up sports it has ignored for years.
He pointed to surfing and sport climbing as clear examples, since India has a huge coastline and large mountain regions. “We have such a vast coastline, we have such a vast hilly region where there could be a natural affinity for sports like these,” he said. “Despite this, we are not seen in these sports anywhere in the world.”
His message to young people was simple, mixing Hindi and English. “Screens se zyada, Sports centres ki ahmiyat hai. Play station se zyada, Playgrounds ki ahmiyat hai.” In other words, sports centres matter more than screens, and playgrounds matter more than PlayStations.
The talent hunt for children between 5 and 15 years old, announced earlier this month on Independence Day, is meant to support this plan. It aims to find children early and guide them towards sports that suit their natural ability, not just the ones they already like.
PM also spoke about India’s para-athletes, including Sheetal Devi, Avani Lekhara, Jhandu Kumar and Sumit Antil, as examples of how sporting success changes more than one life. “When an athlete succeeds, it is not only his success, but it also brings glory to his family, school, college, district,” he said.
The real question now is whether India can turn these words into action, and actually build athletes for sports it currently avoids altogether.
In how many sports did India compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
India competed in only 16 of the 32 sports on the Olympic programme, meaning it had no representation at all in the other half of the events.
What did PM Modi say about India’s performance at the 2012 Olympics?
Modi said India took part in just 13 sports at the 2012 Olympics and was completely absent from more than 20 events, many of which most people in the country did not even know about.
Which new sports did Modi suggest India should focus on for the 2036 Olympics?
Modi pointed to surfing and sport climbing, saying India’s long coastline and large mountain regions give it a natural advantage in these disciplines that has not yet been used.
Ajay Gandhar has been part of Khel Now since 2023 and has expertise across a wide range of Olympic sports. While his coverage spans the Olympic spectrum, he is passionate about Badminton, Tennis, Football, and Track and Field. Beyond his primary focus areas, Ajay is also an avid kabaddi enthusiast and closely follows the sport.