National Sports Day: Breakthrough For New Careers in Sports

The Paris Olympics 2024 has been wrapped up and sports which were previously unheard of got traction on social media. Manu Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic event when she won a bronze in shooting and later went on to repeat the same, teaming up with Sarabjot Singh in a mixed team 10m air pistol. She also became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting.

Swapnil Kusale (shooting), Aman Sehrawat (wrestling) and the Indian Hockey Team also added a bronze to India’s table. The biggest achiever turned out to be the very well-known Neeraj Chopra who won a silver medal in the javelin throw.

Sports which people didn’t care about have suddenly become part of the daily conversations. This is not only in India but everywhere around the world. Kaylia Nemour and Imane Khelif became the heroines of Algeria by winning gold medals. Nemour became the first African to win a medal in gymnasts and Imane Khelif became the inspiration for millions of women in Algeria and Africa respectively.

This begs the question. Have we as citizens only cared about mainstream sports while neglecting others? Is it possible to create more athletes in sports who need help?

It is no doubt that athletes have gone beyond the odds to gain medals. They have come from villages where these sports were probably not even known. We as individuals should also make our bid to help up-and-coming athletes pursue their dreams.

The institutes where these athletes can train in their respective fields are mostly government institutions which are underfunded at times. Mainstream sports like cricket have institutes both public and private which have helped cricket become the juggernaut it is today.

We as private individuals need to help the government by donating in whatever ways possible. We can also help private individuals set up their training institutions in similar ways, which will help more and more people pursue sports as their careers. Often time athletes have to take a second job to fulfill their passions. By funding them, we will also turn sports into a lucrative career option.

Spreading Bliss Foundation is fully in support of creating more athletes in the future. On this National Sports Day, let us do our part in helping sports thrive. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Make sure to share it with your friends and family members.