[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

She is indeed going back, reports NDTV.

Attachment 2639768

On a side note, it is sad that in spite of the Olympics Gold Quest programme, neither in the previous, nor in the current iteration of the games have the beneficiary sportspersons managed to gift the nation a GOLD medal; yet.

Thank you for making this point. As someone with more than a layman's knowledge of OGQ allow me to weigh in.

This is a matter being introspected by OGQ too in all earnest. How do we get better - we have come a long way since our debut in 2012 but need to go further. Only when you get involved with OGQ do you understand the absolute incredible levels of perfection a sportsperson has to achieve to even get a Bronze at the Olympics and how slender is the margin between the 3 medals. Allow me to say this at the expense of being mauled on this thread -- we Indians have grown up on a diet of cricket played by a dozen nations and assume that a Bronze in the Olympics is the equivalent of some achievement in cricket. It isn't. It is much more with no disrespect to cricket fans or players. Coming through a shortlist process that in most sports involves tens if not over a 100 nations per sport spread over 2 years prior is a different degree of competition altogether than a dozen nations.

Let us respect every athlete in India who brought home a medal despite the sub-standard facilities the Govt often provides and the poor attitude the officials most often display.

If one has to measure the impact of OGQ then we must count our total medal tally since 2012 and deduct the medals from sportspersons trained/sponsored by OGQ. That would give us a real measure of its impact. I am very confident we will get there in 2028.

Oh, by the way OGQ also supports the Para Olympians and OGQ supported sportspersons have won 1 Gold, 7 Silvers and 2 Bronze medals at the Para Olympics since 2012.

PS: apologies to cricket lovers.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Does the nation not owe that to the top performer. Social Media gives us laymen way too much power to criticize without homework.

At an approximate cost of three lakh Indian rupees for a business class round trip from Paris to Delhi, we can very well afford to bear the expenses on our own account, irrespective of whether an athlete gets us a medal or not. As you rightly point out, the very fact that they are representating our nation at the world stage while we are munching potato chips on our couches and commenting endlessly, is reason enough to support and spend on them. However, in the instant case, Manu Bhaker seems to have shot some wrong arrows at some wrong targets - ruffling some wrong feathers.

At 22, she appears to be far more mature in her behavior and speech than is expected of her age. I specifically like the way she is trying to balance the two sides - of being humble and assertive at the same time. Lest I open a political Pandora box, I will refrain from mentioning the specifics; but any shrewd observer will understand and even appreciate the fine line she is treading. And there lies the litigious litany of the layman!

* * *

On a slightly naughty note, I wish the IOA had mandated that all medal winners should attend, encourage and inspire fellow Indian athletes/sportspersons involved in crucial matches/bouts/runs. This would have addressed the lack of vocal/moral support that is so conspicuous on the stands.

I remember Viren Rasquinha admitting on live television that in his years of participating in different games, he barely went as an audience to support his compatriots. The sense of camaraderie among players practicing different disciplines is an asset that is worth its weight in gold.

[kiranknair]

Another bronze to the kitty - Aman Sehrawat wins in 57kg freestyle wrestling. Well played.

[NomadSK]

For all those why Manu Bhaker came back - because she and her team followed the RULES, which state that, the athlete and his/her team has to leave and vacate the village within 48 hours of completion of their event or in case of elimination, whichever is sooner.

Athletes and team officials who do not depart within 48hours of elimination will have their accreditations deactivated. Inability to change flight tickets are not considered for exception.

However, closing ceremony flag bearer may seek for departure exception, but I guess by the time Indian Olympic association decided Manu Bhaker would be the flag bearer, she was already in India.

[Chhanda Das]

Weight is a major issue in any combat sport. My son has competed at the national level in both Karate and Judo.

When he used to compete in full contact Karate junior tournaments he used to weigh around 81-86 kilograms (kg) on average and had to do quite a lot of cardiovascular exercises in the weeks leading up to the tournaments just to make the under 81 kg weight category. Otherwise, he would have to compete in 81+ kg or open weight category where it is not uncommon for 6.5-7 foot guys weighing upto around 105-110 kg to compete and those guys punch/kick a lot harder. My son was only a mere 5 feet and and 10 inches tall

It was a similar situation in Judo as well. By the time my son transitioned to Judo, he had gained quite a lot of weight in his bones and muscles. His normal weight was around 94-96 kg and he had crossed the 6 feet height mark. The senior open weights in Judo usually started above the 100 kg mark but due to a lack of adequate number of competitors the open weight was usually set at 90+ kg in West Bengal which meant that my son was facing the prospect of competing against 125-130 kg 7 foot guys in the national tournaments. This meant that he either had to do a lot of weight training to bulk up or he had to do extreme amounts of cardiovascular exercises to reduce the weight. Either way it was a lose-lose situation for him because the lower weight guys were a lot faster while the higher weight guys were a lot stronger. So he chose to take it easy, stick to his weight and compete only if he felt comfortable.

A small side note : If you think that the wrestling administration in India is corrupted then I sincerely urge you to check out Judo as well because some of the same people run the core administration of both the sports in India. And all of them have very close ties to one particular political party.

At the Olympic level, I can only imagine the rigours that the sports persons go through especially the ones in combat sports like boxing, wrestling, judo, etc. Salute to them

[NomadSK]

It looks like this is a common phenomenon in the sport of wrestling.

Aman Sehrawat weighed 61.5kg after his semifinal bout on Thursday - exactly 4.5 kilograms above the permissible limit in the men's 57kg, lost all that extra weight in a matter of 10hours. Thanks goodness he came within permissible range, but I’m sure those 10 hours would have been most difficult psychologically for him and the team.

LINK

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

If she is going back, I wonder what business she had to make that short trip to India at all, especially if it is at tax payer's expense.

Come on man, this is quite an intrusion to ones personal life. What do you and me has to do with she coming back for whatever reason she has got. Why are we creeping upon too much on something. And what is it that everything gets attached to "tax payer money". Do you think she is quite a pauper to be not able to afford a trip back home, she is going to be earning a fortune now with all the branding she has got by now.

[TurboTorque]

India won 6 medals out of 110 athletes. And, another 6 Indian athletes have come close to winning a medal and have finished 4th at the Olympics. If they had a bit of luck, they might have won a medal as well. So, India might have won double digit medals.

Here are the athletes who finished in 4th place:

1. Arjun Babuta – men's 10m air rifle shooting
2. Dhiraj Bommadevara/Ankita Bhakat - mixed team archery
3. Manu Bhaker - women's 25m air pistol
4. Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Maheshwari Chauhan - mixed team skeet shooting
5. Lakshya Sen – Paris 2024 Olympics - men's singles badminton
6. Mirabai Chanu – women's 49kg weightlifting

Source: Link

Top 5 Countries with their medal winning percentage based on number of participants compared to India:

USA: 111 medals out of 592 participants in 34 sports, Winning Percentage: 18.75%
China: 83 medals out of 388 participants in 33 sports, Winning Percentage: 21.40%
Australia: 48 medals out of 461 participants in 33 sports, Winning Percentage: 10.42%
Japan: 37 medals out of 403 participants in 34 sports, Winning Percentage: 9.19%
Great Britain: 57 medals out of 328 participants in 26 sports, Winning Percentage: 17.38%

India: 6 medals out of 110 participants in 16 sports, Winning percentage: 5.46%

Source: Wikipedia

If those 6 athletes had a bit of luck and managed to secure the medal, India’s winning percentage would be around 10.91% which would be higher than Japan and Australia.

[mukeshgoel]

Originally Posted by TurboTorque

If those 6 athletes had a bit of luck and managed to secure the medal, India’s winning percentage would be around 10.91% which would be higher than Japan and Australia.

Is that a valid statement?

Why only Indian athletes? IF Japanese and Australian athletes also had a bit of luck and managed to secure some more medals, their medals (and percentage) would also be more.

[TurboTorque]

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

Is that a valid statement?

Why only Indian athletes? IF Japanese and Australian athletes also had a bit of luck and managed to secure some more medals, their medals (and percentage) would also be more.

I agree with you that the statement is not valid if we say that athletes from other countries had a bit of luck they would have won more medals as well. I made that statement with a big assumption that if they had a bit of luck in the context of Indian athletes compared to top 5 countries.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Come on man, this is quite an intrusion to ones personal life. What do you and me has to do with she coming back for whatever reason she has got. Why are we creeping upon too much on something. And what is it that everything gets attached to "tax payer money". Do you think she is quite a pauper to be not able to afford a trip back home, she is going to be earning a fortune now with all the branding she has got by now.

Our neighbour was badly trolled on social media for sending a 7 member contingent, but I think they are having the last laugh right now, personal camaraderie aside. We had all the money, support staff, training and certain perceived geopolitical heft and yet we are No. 69 or so in the overall rankings.
First of all my point was "if" it is not a personal expense. Had I been in a nation that otherwise does well to plough back the money for essential physical, social and governance infrastructure, one can overlook some trivial expenses even if borne by "taxpayers" . Some may think that this is a hackneyed expression, but it is a catchall for the silent majority of Indians who go about their business with near 100% compliance without getting much in return for it. I feel it is a legitimate query from people who feel irked at any sense of entitlement and the list for this is so long that we may have to open a new community for it. Right now this is just a rant, and I will let it be at that.

[rx100]

Originally Posted by TurboTorque

India won 6 medals out of 110 athletes. And, another 6 Indian athletes have come close to winning a medal and have finished 4th at the Olympics. If they had a bit of luck, they might have won a medal as well. So, India might have won double digit medals.


Top 5 Countries with their medal winning percentage based on number of participants compared to India:

USA: 111 medals out of 592 participants in 34 sports, Winning Percentage: 18.75%
China: 83 medals out of 388 participants in 33 sports, Winning Percentage: 21.40%
Australia: 48 medals out of 461 participants in 33 sports, Winning Percentage: 10.42%
Japan: 37 medals out of 403 participants in 34 sports, Winning Percentage: 9.19%
Great Britain: 57 medals out of 328 participants in 26 sports, Winning Percentage: 17.38%

India: 6 medals out of 110 participants in 16 sports, Winning percentage: 5.46%

Source: Wikipedia

If those 6 athletes had a bit of luck and managed to secure the medal, India’s winning percentage would be around 10.91% which would be higher than Japan and Australia.

Lots of ifs and buts.

Now that the Olympics are over, you can recalculate the percentages, making sure to apply the correct weightage for gold, silver, and bronze medals instead of just medals tally.

[kiranknair]

Originally Posted by rx100

Lots of ifs and buts.

Now that the Olympics are over, you can recalculate the percentages, making sure to apply the correct weightage for gold, silver, and bronze medals instead of just medals tally.

Weightage is a definitely needed for such a calculation, like 1 gold = 2 silver or 4 bronze. However, as seen in the medal tally, no amount of silver can replace that 1 gold.


Some general impressions on the toppers of final medal tally:

1) The first three in the medal table - US, China and Japan are the same as last Tokyo Olympics.
2) Every time it appears that China might be the topper, US in most cases, edges pass China on the last day or so - They have much more silver than China.
3) Austalia climbs up to 4th position - primarily due to absence of Russia?
4) South Korea has mostly fared better than Japan in Asian games medal tally, but in Olympics Japan is always ahead.
5) For India to be in top 30 - we just need 3 more gold medals - as simple as that - Not easy as it sounds, but definitely not impossible. For a cricket loving nation, I would say that Australia should be the one that we need to look up to for better performance in Olympics.

[Joeboy]

It is a shame that the most populated country in the world could win only 6 medals whereas the 2nd most populated country China finished second in the medals tally behind USA. As long as cricket dominates the Indian sport there is no hope of us winning more medals in future Olympics.

[dodge3p]

Originally Posted by Joeboy

It is a shame that the most populated country in the world could win only 6 medals whereas the 2nd most populated country China finished second in the medals tally behind USA. As long as cricket dominates the Indian sport there is no hope of us winning more medals in future Olympics.

More than Cricket, the corruption and un-professionalism that exists in various governing bodies will never be conducive to identifying, training and managing athletes. The nepotism and hunger for power will make sure that this continues. The countries which are just as big as our states are bagging handful of golds. Take a look at the countries from rank 5 to 25, each of them can be directly mapped to a state within India, so it is not population which directly correlates to medal tally. It is about how serious and dedicated are we about sport, otherwise we will just repeat these rants every four year.