‘To become a sporting powerhouse, we must make sports a people's movement'
On the face of it, this may not sound as important as identifying talent, building sports infrastructure, creating transparent sports governance policies, etc. But the truth is that unless we involve the masses to participate in sports, no country can become a sporting superpower. The reason is that unless people feel attached to sport and think of it as an important aspect of their life and well-being, they will neither support their children to play sport at the grassroot or higher levels nor step out to support sport as fans and fill up the stadiums, which in turn brings in corporate sponsorships to fund sporting events and build careers for athletes.
When I started playing, sports was not considered a career option at all. My parents made great sacrifices to ensure that I continued playing badminton as a youngster, till I reached the elite level, and didn't have to quit midway. But that was because my father was an athlete and understood the importance of playing sport. But this is not the case with everyone. Therefore, if we have to ensure that a large number of youngsters play sport and we have a large pool to identify talent from, getting people involved in sport is important.
I think Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 underlines with great care the need to create more access to sports facilities at all levels so that people of all age groups, and from different economic strata and regions, can take up sport as a regular activity. This is the starting point for making sports a people's movement in the country. Our honourable Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi has time and again spoken about the importance of leading a fit life which includes daily exercise, the right diet and mental wellness. His recent clarion call to fight obesity by reducing oil consumption by 10 per cent and including exercise in daily life is a reminder yet again. In fact, his vision of the Fit India Movement that he launched in 2019 has already paved the path for that change. There is a growing consciousness among people to stay healthy and fit, and the time is right to motivate them to pick up a sport as part of their fitness journey.
One way of incentivising the adoption of a sport as an everyday activity is creating a sense of community by organising sporting events that are meant for families. The Sundays on Cycle initiative launched by honourable union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, is a classic example of this. Along with it, fitness ranking systems can be put in place, a suggestion already made in the policy, which can motivate institutions such as corporates, schools and government organisations to incorporate sport as part of their organisational structure.
A nation of fit people will create a higher GDP, a key requirement as we move towards becoming the third largest economy in the world and a Viksit Bharat. Indeed, 'Fit Hai, Toh Hit Hai' is not just a slogan, it is what forms the crux of a nation which has the ambition of being a global leader.
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