Sachin Tendulkar explains why India is not a sporting powerhouse yet

India is one of the sports-crazy nations in the world. However, Sachin Tendulkar feels that a nation must have a sporting culture to become a sporting power.

Image credit: Getty

When it comes to one of the sports-crazy nations globally, India happens to be one such country. However, it has failed to transform itself into a sporting powerhouse, barring cricket. In the same light, Sachin Tendulkar feels that India does not entirely have a sporting culture, thus delaying its bid to become a sporting powerhouse.

Speaking during the Apollo Tyres Sports Conclave in Mumbai on Tuesday, Tendulkar reckoned that while everyone loves watching sports in the country, only a selected few love to play it. Therefore, he has called for transformation, which needs to begin at the grass-root level. He has again vouched for making sports mandatory in schools, and freedom should be given to the candidate to pursue the sport of their choice.

“This will also enable experts to identify talent at an early stage. At the end of the day, we are looking to build a fitter and healthier India that can perform well in everything,” Tendulkar quoted. He also emphasised that once the child’s knack in a particular sport is identified, a good sporting infrastructure, proper guidance, training camps and more must be given to them to enrich their talent.

“If the child loves what he plays and wants to pursue it, he could be the next Neeraj Chopra, who is the reigning Olympic champion in the javelin throw. Our athletes need to be celebrated, and I am not talking only about the ones who won medals. Everyone who represented India needs to be celebrated. The more you interact with these athletes, the younger generation will be inspired to become like them. It will create a cycle of producing sportsmen,” concluded Tendulkar, indicating that India has miles to travel to become a sporting powerhouse.