Glasgow Commonwealth games – The remarkable Indian journey concludes

So, the memorable journey of the Indian contingent participating in 20^th Commonwealth games held at Glasgow, U.K has ended on a good note. 215 Indian athletes took part in 14 sporting events out of 17 available and stood fifth in the overall medal tally. Apart from players, 90 members comprising officials, coaches and support staff also accompanied the group. The best part which I personally adore is that two of our para-athletes have successfully earned a silver and a bronze medal. The sporting extravaganza took place from 23rd July to 3th August 2014.

Though there are still a few sports remaining, but by and large India’s participation has already finished. Before we move on, it is pertinent to add that during the last commonwealth games held in Delhi in the year 2010; our athletes had an advantage of playing on their home turf. India’s 619 participants had won 101 medals. In comparison this time, we had a strength of 215, but we have grabbed 64 medals Thus, by any given parameter we have got a medal per 3 participants in comparison to 6 participants last time. Surely we have moved forward.

But wait, our athletes have achieved this glory under challenging circumstances. First of all, the weather was not at all suitable for our athletes. The cold and windy weather had its own negative impact. As shooter Gagan Narang had said, the strong wins distracted the focus of our shooters.

Also, it is a well known fact that in India, neither have we got world class training and coaching facilities, nor we have world class equipments for most of the games. Sadly, the rich sponsorships and endorsements extended by the corporate world to glamorous events like IPL is missing for other games. No franchise-based leagues for less preferred games have ever been organized, apart from a few sports.

Also, our federations, right from boxing to hockey have been indulged in the war of supremacy. Thus, the proper training and nourishment necessary for the participants was surely affected. Our weightlifting federation was banned for a period of 2 years. Even the IOA was not functioning in international event as they were banned. So, this achievement of our hard working athletes (especially one from the rural background) proved to more of a result of their personal endurance rather than the collective efforts of federations/ministries. Surely, the credit also goes their families and coaches like Gopichand. Also, the wrestling and weightlifting coaches have motivated their disciples in a most encouraging manner.

Also, a clear biased attitude against many of the Indian athletes was clearly noticed by the majority of the viewers and supporters. As if this was not enough, the organizers and authorities of commonwealth have deliberately eliminated games like archery and tennis where India had a strong hold. Therefore, despite all these odds and challenging conditions, our hardworking players have shown tremendous devotion for the sake of pride. All we can say is hats off to our most dedicated, committed and courageous participants who made an immense contribution and made us feel proud.

Latest overall tally – country wise

India’s tally – Sport-wise

We must thank our participants for this divine effort.