Rio is a golden chance for Indian sports business
Rio is a golden chance for Indian sports business
India has long been a laggard in international sports, despite its population of nearly 1.3 billion. Various explanations are put forth to explain this, ranging a lack of national sporting pride -- unlike China -- to cultural distaste for close physical contact.
Whatever the reason, most Indian fans are more interested in national sports such as cricket and field hockey. The country has underperformed at the Olympics and in other amateur sports for many years. Over the 110 years or so of the modern Olympics through 2008 in Beijing, India has won only 20 medals, 11 of have been in field hockey.
The London Olympics in 2012 may have marked a turnaround, however. India won a record six medals -- two silver and four bronze -- at the Summer Games. The country's sporting authorities have set a target of 10 or more medals for the upcoming Rio Olympics, and recently created a development program for athletes.
As in the U.S., Europe and Japan, private sports management companies in India back promising athletes and those who have done well in international competitions. These athletes have shot to fame and now frequently appear in TV commercials. The brand value of athletes in sports outside cricket is increasing. The Rio Olympics will likely be a litmus test for whether a sports culture takes root in India and creates new business opportunities in the country.
Fight and shoot for glory
A record of over 120 Indians have qualified for the Rio Games, 50% more than made the cut in London four years ago. Hopes for a strong showing are particularly high in wrestling and shooting.
YogeshwarDutt, 34, who won a bronze in London in men's freestyle wrestling, will be competing in the 65kg weight class. He is India's leading contender for a gold medal in Rio, having won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Shooting is an emerging Olympic specialty for India. AbhinavBindra, 34, is the country's main hope for gold in the 10-meter air rifle competition. He is India's sole gold medal winner in an individual sport, taking the top spot in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has been in good form recently, winning a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. GaganNarang, 33, who took the bronze at the London Olympics in the 10-meter air rifle, will take part in three events in Rio: the 10-meter air rifle, the 50-meter rifle prone and the 50-meter rifle three-position competition.
Expectations are also running high for 26-year-old SainaNehwal, the bronze medalist at the London Olympics in the women's badminton singles. She has not disappointed, winning a silver medal at the Total BWF World Championships 2015 in Jakarta and a bronze at the 2016 Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China. SaniaMirza, 29, is one of India's most popular female athletes and ranked No. 1 in the Women's Tennis Association in doubles. She will compete in women's doubles and mixed doubles, and could medal in Rio.
In the men's discus, VikasGowda finished eighth in London Olympics, but won the event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, becoming India's first athlete to win gold in the event in 56 years. The 32-year-old may also bring home a medal from Rio. DeepikaKumari, 22, ranked 5th in the world in women's archery, also has a good chance of medaling in both individual and team events.
DipaKarmakar is India's first female gymnast to compete in an Olympics in 52 years. The 22-year-old women grabbed attention by taking bronze in the vault at the 2014 Commonwealth games, and again at the 2015 Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Hiroshima, Japan. If she successfully performs a Produnova vault -- two and a half somersaults -- regarded as one of the most difficult, she may well find herself on the podium in Rio. She is one of only five gymnasts in the world to pull it off.
Whatever the reason, most Indian fans are more interested in national sports such as cricket and field hockey. The country has underperformed at the Olympics and in other amateur sports for many years. Over the 110 years or so of the modern Olympics through 2008 in Beijing, India has won only 20 medals, 11 of have been in field hockey.
The London Olympics in 2012 may have marked a turnaround, however. India won a record six medals -- two silver and four bronze -- at the Summer Games. The country's sporting authorities have set a target of 10 or more medals for the upcoming Rio Olympics, and recently created a development program for athletes.
As in the U.S., Europe and Japan, private sports management companies in India back promising athletes and those who have done well in international competitions. These athletes have shot to fame and now frequently appear in TV commercials. The brand value of athletes in sports outside cricket is increasing. The Rio Olympics will likely be a litmus test for whether a sports culture takes root in India and creates new business opportunities in the country.
Fight and shoot for glory
A record of over 120 Indians have qualified for the Rio Games, 50% more than made the cut in London four years ago. Hopes for a strong showing are particularly high in wrestling and shooting.
YogeshwarDutt, 34, who won a bronze in London in men's freestyle wrestling, will be competing in the 65kg weight class. He is India's leading contender for a gold medal in Rio, having won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Shooting is an emerging Olympic specialty for India. AbhinavBindra, 34, is the country's main hope for gold in the 10-meter air rifle competition. He is India's sole gold medal winner in an individual sport, taking the top spot in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has been in good form recently, winning a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. GaganNarang, 33, who took the bronze at the London Olympics in the 10-meter air rifle, will take part in three events in Rio: the 10-meter air rifle, the 50-meter rifle prone and the 50-meter rifle three-position competition.
Expectations are also running high for 26-year-old SainaNehwal, the bronze medalist at the London Olympics in the women's badminton singles. She has not disappointed, winning a silver medal at the Total BWF World Championships 2015 in Jakarta and a bronze at the 2016 Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China. SaniaMirza, 29, is one of India's most popular female athletes and ranked No. 1 in the Women's Tennis Association in doubles. She will compete in women's doubles and mixed doubles, and could medal in Rio.
In the men's discus, VikasGowda finished eighth in London Olympics, but won the event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, becoming India's first athlete to win gold in the event in 56 years. The 32-year-old may also bring home a medal from Rio. DeepikaKumari, 22, ranked 5th in the world in women's archery, also has a good chance of medaling in both individual and team events.
DipaKarmakar is India's first female gymnast to compete in an Olympics in 52 years. The 22-year-old women grabbed attention by taking bronze in the vault at the 2014 Commonwealth games, and again at the 2015 Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Hiroshima, Japan. If she successfully performs a Produnova vault -- two and a half somersaults -- regarded as one of the most difficult, she may well find herself on the podium in Rio. She is one of only five gymnasts in the world to pull it off.
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