India should identify and focus on priority sports as it aims to bag 50 medals at 2024 Olympics, NITI Aayog has proposed in the wake of the debacle at this year's competition, advocating a strategy followed by smaller nations such as Kenya and Jamaica.
In a 20-point action plan, the government's think tank has recommended that the country prioritise 10 sports and develop an outcome oriented action plan for each of them. "Each action plan should be reviewed after every four years and its outcomes assessed annually," the Aayog said in a report titled 'Let's Play'. The report has been put in public domain for stakeholder consultation and the Aayog hopes to finalise its recommendations in 45 days.
The efficacy of this strategy is evident from the fact that Kenya and Jamaica participated in only two sports but the two nations bagged as many as 100 and 78 medals respectively at the recent Olympics in Rio, Brazil. On the contrary India, the second most populous nation in the world, managed to win just two medals despite a large participation this year.
i. In its comprehensive report, the Aayog recommended that the draft National Sports Development Bill, 2013 be implemented to promote ethical practices and improve transparency and accountability of sports bodies.
ii. Outlining the need for extensive marketing of all priority sports, the Aayog said experiences of IPL in India have shown that investments in marketing and promotion of league tournaments have repeated benefits in terms of attracting sponsors, popularising the sport and increasing viewership.
iii. It was recommended to allow private companies/PSUs to acquire naming rights i.e. buy rights to name a facility, event, sportsperson, beginning from the age of five, typically for a defined period of time in exchange of sponsoring related activities. Besides, it vouched for roping in private sector and greater funding made available by the government to create state-of-the art sports facilities.
Outlining medium to long term action plans, the Aayog recommended that the government scout talent at the young age of five to 10 years through national level competitions for priority sports, citing the example of China and Germany.
