Can India use sport to craft a different, more unified identity?

Last week, the Indian government and the Indian Olympic Association played the hint-nudge game over the country joining the list of host hopefuls for 2032 Olympics. Far-fetched though it sounds, it is a good time to look at the branding power games and sporting events hold out for countries looking to break into the power league

Change through sport has a deeper, granular, effect and many countries are only just beginning to understand that sport as a development tool can ‘nation build’ at a much deeper level. While major sporting events drive macro-change, sport for development provides the complementary micro-change. 

For instance, when Indian badminton players win internationally, they imbue a sense of pride in fellow Indians. At the same time, the country gets attention at the global level for meritorious reasons rather than political or social calamities. A loss can work the opposite way, but the scars it leaves behind are not lasting. They heal by the time athletes, a cricket team, badminton players or tennis players take to the field the next time. 

Hosting big sporting events is a different ball game. Going by the 2010 Commonwealth Games fiasco, the negative impact on a country’s identity caused by corrupt, botched -up events lasts longer. And that is why before India embarks on the tough Olympics bidding process (if it does) there is a still a lot to do. 

The first thing would be to get more sports-obsessed. China won a total of 100 medals, 51 gold, 21 silver, and 28 bronze, which became its largest ever medal tally in Olympic history when it hosted the Beijing Games. The Olympics were China’s challenge to the world: we are world-beaters, both on-and-off the field they said. India, though for the record, has won just 28 Olympic medals since 1900, with one individual gold medal for Abhinav Bindra's victory in the 10m air rifle at the 2008 Beijing Games.

If Indian Olympic Association President Narayana Ramachandran who was quoted last week that India is interested in bidding for the 2032 Games is serious, then India must deliver on several fronts: on sporting talent, infrastructural capabilities and showmanship. India is also said to be bidding for the 2020 Asian Beach Games, the 2021 International Olympic Committee (IOC) session, and the 2030 Asian Games according to media reports.  

Hosting the Games comes with heavy downsides too. Rio, which spent big on the 2016 Games, is now struggling to deal with its abandoned venues amidst heavy debts. Overwhelming construction costs saw 1976 Montreal Games suffer a $922 million deficit, forcing the implementation of a special tobacco tax to fund the loss. The debt was paid off 30 years later in 2006. The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi was originally budgeted at $12billion, but several cost overruns saw the budget surge to $51bn, making it the costliest Games in history.

Why then would India want to host the Olympics? For Prime Minister Modi and his government, creating a ‘legacy’ would undoubtedly be the overwhelming reason. The sought-after positive legacy outcomes include urban renewal, increased tourism and employment, enhanced city image and reputation, improved public welfare, and a renewed sense of community. And of course international prestige. 

However, to embellish Brand India, the Prime Minister will need not just a winning bid, but a winning mindset on the track, in the field, and on the mat across 30 odd sports with 300+ medals on offer. 

The author is  an advertising and media veteran.