On the comparing of google search interest over the last five years for three of India’s top sportspersons: Cricketer Virat Kohli, Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and shooter Manu Bhaker, this analysis offers four lessons- Virat Kohli always occupies fan mind space. Apart from cricket, other games search on google in India takes an extraordinary achievement to occupy that space.During this period,the highest interest was for Neeraj Chopra when he won gold medal at the Tokyo olympics in the year 2021.
The attention Aman Sehrawat and Manu Bhaker has got in the last month won’t be replicated until the next big multi-sport event; maybe they also know this.And this indirectly plays a part in India’s overall growth as a sporting country.India was expected to get better than its best ever showing at Tokyo Olympics 2020, but its ended with six medals, one less than Tokyo Olympic 2020.In Paris, India also had six fourth-place finishes, and a disqualification that turned a medal into a no-show, leading to stories of what might have been.What will it take to get more Olympic medals? The answer is a on large amount, at lot of levels.
India’s quest for getting more Olympics medals has been centered at the top, through the Target Olympic Podium scheme (TOPS).This scheme is central government-funded scheme, which recognised medal prospects and according to that extends financial support for their training and competitions during the Games cycle.Some of the sports have profited. Take the example of shooting under TOPS, in the Paris Olympics cycle, central government spent 60 crores Rs to support for 28 shooters.In Tokyo 2020 Olympics India’s 20 participations returned an placing of 19, while in Paris the 28 participations averaged placing of 13 with 3 medals.
Any successful sport resolves around a self-perpetuating cycle of extensive adoption, globally aggressive events, fan attraction and on-field success.In India, cricket has created that cycle.Beyond this most sports are fighting to craft that foundational circle.