As a large country, the country with the largest population in the world, India needs pride. India needs a reputation and this can be achieved from many angles; military, economics, per capita income, culture, and of course sports.
Why sport?
Because sport is an important commodity “if it is truly processed”. As a commodity, sport is what attracts so many people, which in India’s case is tens or even hundreds of millions of people. Thus, sport is something worth fighting for in India.
India is a Giant Market
India, along with China, are the world’s two giant markets. They both have enormous influence because each is supported by 1.5 billion people. Yes, of course, such a number cannot be generalized as active market players, but any calculation of proportions will definitely place India and China as the two largest markets in the world. And they are both growing. They develop as dynamic markets.
The Sports Market Means Financial Gain
Sport as an economic commodity has a big influence involving many aspects, each of which basically has its own economic implications. As a giant country with a number of jobs that are disproportionate to its population, every economic gain can be very meaningful for the country.
As a commodity that can move millions of people, sport is important for India but unfortunately, so far, India’s achievements have not been very encouraging. There are only a few worth bragging about, and of course, cricket is on the list. So if anyone talks about India’s chances of winning sports, the biggest one is the chances of winning the cricket championship.
Cricket is not just a sport in India but also an identity. Indian culture, as well as Pakistan, cannot be completely separated from cricket. Even though England, the country of origin of cricket, also has a strong cricket culture, football has long replaced cricket as the most popular sport. For India, being dominant on the world cricket stage is everything because that is the only thing that is most likely for them to win.
Cricket has proven to bring many positive changes to the South Asian country and as was evident during the recent Men’s Cricket World Cup, there was a sharp increase in India’s tourism accommodation sector and that means more taxes and jobs (although most of them are temporary ).
There is also an increase in the entertainment sector, including the online entertainment sector, one of which is represented by the best online casino app in India. The increase in the number of new downloads seems to be directly proportional to the increase in enthusiasm of the Indian people for cricket and it is not surprising because for many years cricket has been an important element in the Indian gambling industry.
History of Sports Governance in India
In the early 1950s, the Central Government formed the All India Council of Sports (AICS) to understand the falling standards of sports in the country.
After the Asian Games in 1982, the Department of Sports was transformed into the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.
National Sports Policy was formulated in the year 1984.
In the year 2000, the department was transformed into the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
In the year 2011, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports notified the National Sports Development Code of India 2011.
In the year 2022, the National Air Sports Policy 2022 (NASP 2022) was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for aerobatics, aero-modelling, ballooning, drones, hang gliding and powered hang gliding, parachuting, etc.
From the history of governance in sports in India above, we can conclude that the Indian government has actually taken various steps to advance sports in India, even though many parties see this as not optimal. However, the course of history proves everything that only certain sports that are liked by the general public in India are “remaining on a positive track”.
So when someone asks about the odds of India emerging victorious in sports, the answer is “relative”. If it is linked to cricket, of course, India has a huge chance of that! But when it comes to sports like basketball and football, it’s hard to say India’s chances are big enough.
India’s next task is to improve sectors outside of cricket and that certainly has something to do with the views of many Indian parents who think that work as a professional athlete is not very promising. It is a challenge and if the Indian Government decides to build more sports facilities and improve the income levels of athletes, it is not impossible that within a decade the situation of the sports industry in India can change in a positive direction. And that means India’s chances of dominating sports at the world level could increase.
