Bridging the gap in Indian sports | Shuvro Ghoshal | TEDxHITKolkata
Shu Goosal, founder of Bridge, argues that despite cricket's massive popularity, India must nurture other sports through collective effort because systemic support is needed throughout the year, not just around the Olympics. He demonstrates this by comparing the minuscule funding and focus on other sports (like ice hockey) to the immense, highly specialized budgets required for winning Olympic medals. ## Speakers & Context - Shu Goosal, founder of Bridge. - Speaking to an audience about the state of sports in India. - Highlights that while cricket has massive viewership and commercial success, other sports also require attention and investment. ## Theses & Positions - It is vital to acknowledge and nurture other sports alongside cricket. - The primary barrier to improving India's global sporting standing is a lack of sustained, regular public interest and support outside of major global events like the Olympics. - Making India a global sporting nation requires a "collective effort" from everyone. - Athletes need consistent support throughout the year, not just when the Olympics occur every four years. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Bridge (Organization):** A platform dedicated to bridging the gap in Indian Sports through media and Technology, aiming to give visibility to lesser-known sports and athletes. - **Olympic Cycle:** Period of time when the Olympics occur (once in four years). - **World Cup Cycle:** Reference point for measuring international team success, similar to the Olympics. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Crowdfunding for Ice Hockey:** Raised ₹32 lakhs in nine days for the Indian national ice hockey team to participate in the Challenge Cup of Asia. - **Olympic Medal Benchmark:** Research suggests that winning one Olympic medal requires a country to spend substantial sums, citing Great Britain's expenditure of £5.5 million for one medal. - **Indian Sports Funding Allocation (2022):** Out of a total sports industry spending of ₹14,000 crores, 85% went to Cricket, and only 15% was allocated to other sports (including hockey and football). ## Timeline & Sequence - **2016 (Ladakh):** Location where ice hockey infrastructure was demonstrated; photos taken in January and March. - **2012 (London):** India won six medals at the Olympics. - **2016 (Rio):** India won two medals at the Olympics. - **2020 (Tokyo):** India won seven medals at the Olympics. - **Last 10 Years:** Out of 35 total Olympic medals won by India, 15 came in the last decade. ## Named Entities - **Amlan Boren:** Athlete from Assam who ran 100m in 10.25 seconds. - **H.S. Pronoy:** Badminton player who is currently in the top 10 global world rankings. - **Ladakh:** Region where the demonstration of ice hockey infrastructure occurred. - **Guk:** Name of the pond seen in the photos from Ladakh. - **Bridge:** The organization founder Shu Goosal leads to support Indian sports. - **Justin Trudo:** Person who picked up the story of the ice hockey team after their international win. ## Numbers & Data - Fastest runner in India (currently shown): **Amlan Boren** running **100m in 10.25 seconds**. - Badminton world ranking context: **H.S. Pronoy** is the only Indian in the top 10. - Ice hockey funding goal (2016): **₹32 lakhs**. - Time to raise funds: **nine days**. - Total sports industry spending (2022): **₹14,000 crores**. - Cricket's share of spending (2022): **85%**. - Other sports share of spending (2022): **15%**. - Olympic medal data (Total): **35** medals won by India (so far). - Olympic medal data (Last 10 years): **15** medals. - Olympics schedule: Once in **four years**. - Great Britain spending per medal: Approximately **£5.5 million** (close to ₹50 crores). ## Examples & Cases - **Ladakh Ice Hockey Training:** Men and women trained in a pond that froze in harsh winters, when temperatures dropped to **-25 to -30° C** at night, demonstrating natural infrastructure for ice hockey. - **Ice Hockey Campaign:** A documentary and crowdfunding campaign successfully raised **₹32 lakhs** for the Indian national team. - **International Win:** The team defeated the Philippines in its first international match, marking India's first international Ice Hockey win. - **Olympics Comparison:** Comparing India's 35 total medals to the **2,600+** medals won by the USA and **~1000** by Great Britain. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Media and Technology:** Used by Bridge to give platforms to lesser-known sports. - **Documentary:** Created by the speaker about the ice hockey team. ## References Cited - **Indian Cricket Team Captain:** Identified as Rohit Sharma (and correcting the assumption that this was the *only* captain). - **Olympic Games:** Referenced as the peak sporting spectacle (occurs every four years). - **Cricket World Cup:** Used as a comparative measure for international success. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Focus Area:** Between the massive viewership of cricket versus the necessity of nurturing multiple sports. - **Sporting Support Timing:** Between celebrating achievements only during the quadrennial Olympics versus providing continuous, year-round support. - **Spending Comparison:** Comparing the small 15% allocated to diverse sports against the enormous, highly specialized spending required by developed nations to win single medals. ## Methodology - **Data Aggregation:** Analyzing national sports spending (2022) and historical Olympic medal counts to identify funding disparities. - **Storytelling through Niche Success:** Utilizing the ice hockey funding campaign success to argue for broader public and financial support mechanisms. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The effort to make India a global sporting nation must be a collective effort involving all citizens. - The public must start following sports regularly (not just during peak cycles) to provide sustained support for athletes. - Focus must shift to identifying, training, and supporting talent year-round, acknowledging that India's sports success has been "starved." ## Implications & Consequences - Continued neglect means India’s sporting infrastructure and talent pool remain underdeveloped compared to global peers. - Sustained, diverse public interest is the prerequisite for sustained governmental and private investment in non-cricket sports. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm here to give you guys a few reality checks."* - *"We are all aware right that Cricket is the most followed sport in the country..."* - *"this infrastructure we have for this sport of ice hockey natural."* - *"The ask for this team was around 32 lakhs back then I did a documentary and I started a crowdfunding campaign after that in a matter of nine days I raised 32 lakhs for these group of girls."* - *"The Olympics is considered as the biggest sporting spectacle in the world it happens obviously I'm sure a lot of you guys know that it happens once in four years"* - *"Indian Sports is seeing good days ahead and it has been starved for a very long time."* - *"The change in sports ecosystem has to start with a change in you"*