By K L Tariang
A recent news report quoted the Prime Minister of India asserting that the country is preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympic Games. He declared that his government is committed to giving “more and more players greater opportunities to compete” by hosting mega sporting events.
At first glance, this vision appears bold and confident, aligned with India’s aspirations as a rising global power. With steady economic growth, expanding infrastructure, and improving administrative capacity, India may indeed possess the logistical and organisational ability to host the Olympic Games by 2036.
Yet beneath this optimism lie uncomfortable truths. Indian athletes have not historically lacked opportunities to compete in nearly every Olympic Games and major international sporting event held across the globe. Therefore it is not because of a lack of suitable platforms that most Indian athletes have under-performed so far. More fundamentally, nations which have hosted the Olympic Games for many decades now are typically already formidable sporting powers where excellence precedes hosting ,not emerging from it.
As of now, India cannot yet be described as a formidable sporting nation. Its achievements remain sporadic, marked by isolated moments of brilliance rather than sustained success. Therefore , unless a remarkable improvement takes place in Indian sports in the next ten years, hosting the Games risks becoming a spectacle of aspiration rather than an expression of real sporting capability.
Inadequate infrastructure, weak grassroots development, administrative inefficiencies, and a lack of long-term vision could be the reasons that led India to underperform so far .Yet it is naïve to assume that countries with fewer resources, smaller populations or weaker governance structures do not face similar constraints. Some outperform India on the global sporting stage not because of abundance but intent: clear priorities, institutional commitment and a national consensus that elite sporting success is non-negotiable. It is a source of pride, a marker of identity and of global dignity.
India, by contrast, remains largely confined to cricket’s comfort zone, with little visible urgency to compete seriously beyond it. This stands in sharp contrast to countries such as England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Like India, these are formidable cricketing nations, yet they have cultivated diverse sporting ecosystems and consistently produced ample medallists across disciplines at international events. They also compete at football’s highest level ,the FIFA World Cup finals ,an arena where India remains, for now, a distant aspirant.
As India considers a bid for the 2036 Games, the true test lies not in ambition but in resolve: the commitment to build a balanced and competitive sporting ecosystem across disciplines, beginning now. This is alongside sustained investment in modern infrastructure, particularly in sports where India has genuine potential, world-class coaching, strong grassroots programmes, and regular international exposure in globally competitive disciplines.
Equally, consistent visibility of athletes in both team and individual sports, backed by institutional support, is crucial to build public interest, attract sponsorship, and foster national confidence long before the global spotlight arrives. Currently, cricket dominates India’s sporting landscape, while other sports struggle for recognition.
While there are varied factors that led to cricket dominance in India , Indian mainstream media, particularly television, has played a decisive role in this. The process began in 1983, when India’s Cricket World Cup victory coincided with television’s rapid spread in Indian homes. The triumph was repeatedly shown by the national broadcaster transforming it into a lasting spectacle to make cricket a powerful symbol of national pride and identity.
Perceptive of this emotional surge, broadcasters quickly monetised cricket, transforming it into a commercially driven entertainment industry. The rise of satellite television and digital streaming further expanded its reach. Advertisements featuring cricket proliferated, brands adopted the sport as their marketing vehicle and broadcasters struck gold . Today, cricket dominates prime-time bulletins, while newspapers and digital platforms remain saturated with its coverage. This constant focus has amplified cricket’s visibility at the expense of other sports, creating a pronounced imbalance in public awareness and interest.
The cycle soon became self-perpetuating. The more cricket is broadcast, the more it is consumed and the more coverage it receives. By flooding audiences with cricket-centric content, the media effectively determined which sports matter and which do not. An India–Pakistan cricket match, magnified by relentless coverage, grips the nation, while an equally intense hockey encounter between the same rivals barely registers, subdued by media indifference.
Cricket loyalists claim that cricket deserves disproportionate attention because India excels at it. The claim is weak. India’s performance across cricket formats has been uneven. Moreover, the sport has a limited global footprint, with few nations seriously playing it. Therefore, success within such a narrow competitive field is hardly remarkable for a country of over 1.4 billion people.
Meanwhile, hockey, once India’s Olympic pride and a team sport in which the country still competes credibly, has been systematically pushed to the margins. The Asia Cup in hockey, where India regularly faces strong Asian sporting nations such as Japan, South Korea, and China, struggles to secure even basic prime-time coverage. In stark contrast, the Asia Cup in cricket, where these nations do not participate and where India’s dominance is predictable, often dominates television schedules.
Millions of Indians follow domestic and international football.The Indian Super League (ISL) of football regularly fills stadiums, reflecting a strong domestic fan base. Yet, while the Indian Premier League (IPL) of cricket matches often gets reporting coverage even in prime-time news, the ISL matches receive little to no attention. The Indian women’s national football team’s recent historic qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, a step closer to the FIFA World Cup, was barely mentioned on television while cricket achievements are rarely overlooked.
This pattern is evident even in the case of Olympic medallists, who receive brief media attention during the competition before cricket once again reclaims the spotlight . Likewise, athletes from other sports often remain under-recognised, limiting their access to sponsorships, institutional support and public appreciation.While media outlets naturally respond to commercial incentives, thoughtful government support may help ensure that other sports and their athletes receive sustained visibility for encouragement.
This skewed media coverage has created a negative feedback loop in which millions of young Indians see cricket as the only path to recognition, financial security, and social mobility which is a misleading belief given the sport’s narrow professional pyramid. Football, by contrast, offers wider opportunities through its vast global ecosystem of clubs and competitions. With its large youth population, India should be contributing to football’s global rise rather than remaining on the sidelines, as success in the sport would also elevate the country’s standing in the global sporting arena.
True sporting greatness requires an ecosystem that nurtures talent across disciplines throughout the year. Infrastructure and policy matter, but visibility matters just as much. Athletes outside cricket also deserve their stories to be told, their struggles acknowledged, and the assurance of national support in both victory and defeat.
Let cricket flourish; its achievements merit recognition. But let other sports breathe, grow, and claim their rightful place in the national imagination. Only when India’s gaze widens beyond the boundary rope will the country emerge as a land of multiple sporting glories. For that awakening to occur, Indian media, especially television, must act not as a cheerleader for one sport, but as a storyteller for all.
