Column | How Can India Create the Same Environment For Every Sport As It Has Done For Cricket: Gagan Narang Writes

Rather than ask why cricket has been so successful, we should ask a different question: how can India create the same environment for every sport? That question has never been more relevant than it is today.

As India celebrates another Independence Day—proudly embodying the idea of India—we find ourselves standing at a defining moment in our sporting journey. Our aspiration is no longer limited to producing a few extraordinary champions. Our ambition is to become a true sporting nation where every child has the opportunity to dream and where excellence across many sports becomes a part of our national character.

As India continues its journey towards the aspiration of hosting the Olympics and the Paralympic Games in the future, this vision has acquired an even greater significance. The preparation for an event of such scale is valuable not only because of the opportunity to welcome the world, but also because it encourages nations to strengthen institutions, invest in people and create lasting opportunities for future generations.

The Olympic Movement has always represented much more than competition. It represents excellence, friendship and respect. It demonstrates the unique ability of sport to unite people across cultures, inspire hope and create understanding through shared human values. India has an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to that vision by continuing to build a sporting ecosystem that reflects inclusion, innovation, sustainability and excellence while placing athletes and communities at its heart.

The encouraging reality is that this transformation has already begun.

Pathway to Excellence

Over the past decade, India has celebrated Olympic and World Championship success in athletics, shooting, badminton, boxing, wrestling, hockey, weightlifting and several other disciplines. Young athletes from small towns and villages now believe they can compete with the very best in the world. Parents are increasingly viewing sport as a pathway to excellence rather than a distraction from education. Private academies, sports-science experts, governments and corporate partners are working together in ways that were unimaginable just a generation ago.

These achievements deserve to be celebrated.

At the same time, they remind us that our greatest opportunity still lies ahead. India’s success in the future cannot depend on exceptional individuals alone. It must be built upon exceptional systems.

The first foundation is governance. World-class sport requires institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and athlete-centred. Strong governance creates trust. Trust encourages investment. Investment creates opportunity. Opportunity, ultimately, produces champions.

Athletes themselves must become active partners in shaping the future of sport. Their experiences offer invaluable insight into high performance, talent development, athlete welfare and international competitiveness. When athletes have a meaningful voice, sporting institutions become stronger and more relevant.

The second foundation is long-term investment. India has already demonstrated remarkable commitment through initiatives such as Khelo India, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme and growing partnerships with industry and philanthropy. The next phase requires viewing sport not as expenditure but as nation building.

Investment in sport creates healthier communities, stronger economies, skilled employment, innovation, tourism and social inclusion. It strengthens education, promotes gender equality and builds confidence among young people. Few sectors generate such wide-ranging benefits across society.

Corporate India also has an extraordinary opportunity to shape the future by investing not only in elite athletes, but also in coaching education, grassroots participation, sports-science research and community programmes that create sustainable impact.

Sporting Ecosystem

The third foundation is infrastructure. The conversation should now move beyond stadiums. India needs an integrated sporting ecosystem where schools, universities, community facilities, regional high-performance centres, sports-science laboratories, recovery facilities and digital technologies work together seamlessly. Every talented athlete should have access to world-class coaching, nutrition, physiotherapy, psychology, biomechanics and performance analysis regardless of where they begin their journey.

Technology will become one of the great equalisers of that future. Artificial intelligence, data analytics, wearable technology and digital-learning platforms can help bridge geographical barriers and ensure that knowledge reaches every corner of the country. Talent should never be limited by geography.

The fourth and perhaps the most important foundation is culture. Sporting nations are created long before athletes stand on podiums. They are created when families encourage children to play. When schools celebrate participation alongside academic achievement. When communities value coaches as mentors. When young girls receive the same opportunities as young boys. When participation becomes a way of life rather than an occasional activity. This cultural transformation has already started across India and it deserves to accelerate.

Women’s sport provides one of the strongest examples of what is possible. Indian women have repeatedly demonstrated resilience, leadership and excellence on the world’s biggest stages. Expanding opportunities for girls through safe environments, quality coaching and equal access will not only strengthen India’s sporting future, it will also strengthen society itself.

As one of the youngest nations in the world, India possesses an extraordinary demographic advantage. Millions of children have the ability to become athletes, coaches, officials, innovators, sport scientists, entrepreneurs and leaders. Unlocking that potential requires collaboration between government, educational institutions, sporting organisations, industry and civil society. No single organisation can build a sporting nation alone.

Preparing towards the aspiration of hosting a future Olympic Games presents an opportunity that extends far beyond sport. It encourages long-term investment in infrastructure, education, sports science, accessibility, sustainability and community participation while creating benefits that can endure for generations. The true measure of success will not be the event itself, but the lives transformed through sport long after the final medal has been awarded.

The Olympic Games should never be viewed as a destination. They should be viewed as a catalyst for positive and lasting change. As India moves towards one hundred years of Independence in 2047, we have an opportunity to redefine what sport means for our nation and what our nation contributes to global sport.

Cricket will always remain one of India’s greatest strengths and one of our proudest stories. The next chapter of Indian sport is not about replacing cricket or diminishing its remarkable success. It is about creating opportunities for every sport to flourish alongside it.

India has an opportunity to contribute to global sport through ideas, innovation, partnerships and by sharing scalable solutions that expand access to sport for future generations. With one of the youngest populations in the world, a rapidly growing sporting ecosystem and an enduring belief in the power of sport to transform lives, our greatest contribution may ultimately extend well beyond medals.

My hope is that India contributes not only outstanding athletes but also ideas, partnerships, innovation and experiences that strengthen the Olympic Movement and inspire future generations around the world. India has the opportunity to become that sporting nation. And I believe the journey has only just begun.

(Views expressed are personal)

Gagan Narang shooter and bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics

(This story appeared in Outlook magazine’s August 31 issue, 'Whose Idea of India?', in which India’s noted public intellectuals, policymakers, cultural practitioners, political leaders, scholars and economists write in detail about the idea of India they believe can best secure the nation’s future as we celebrate 80 years of independence.)