Sport in India includes cricket, chess, badminton, field hockey, tennis, association football and golf. Field Hockey is the national sport in India, in which the country has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals. Other popular sports are football, cricket, tennis, volleyball,badminton, and also homework and many people make an emotional investment in their favorite spectator sports. Cricket is the most popular sport in India. After the 1982 Asian Games hosted in New Delhi, the capital city now has modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously.
Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played. India is home to several traditional sports which originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These include kabbadi, kho kho, pehlwani and gilli-danda. The British rule brought many popular sports in India including football, rugby union, cricket, golf, tennis, squash, hockey, boxing, snooker and billiards.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951 Asian Games and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 Cricket World Cup and 1996 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open, Mumbai Marathon, Delhi Half Marathon and the Indian Masters. The country is currently hosting the 2011 Cricket World Cup and is scheduled to host the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.
It has also been the host to the Cricket playing Indian Premier League in 2008, 2010 and is scheduled to be in 2011
History
Before independence
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The history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic era. Physical culture in ancient India was fed by a powerful fuel : religious rites. There were some well-defined values like the mantra in the Atharva-Veda, saying," Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". In terms of an ideal, these words hold the same sentiments as the traditional Olympic oath: "For the Honour of my Country and the Glory of Sport."
Badminton probably originated in India as a grownup's version of a very old children's game known in England as battledore and shuttlecock, the battledore being a paddle and the shuttlecock a small feathered cork, now usually called a "bird."
Games like chess, snakes and ladders, playing cards, and polo had originated as sports in India and it was from here that these games were transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further modernized.
After independence
After the IX Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982, the capital city now has modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously. Among these are Wrestling and several traditional systems of Martial arts. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports was initially set up as the Department of Sports in 1982 at the time of organisation of the IX Asian Games in New Delhi. Its name was changed to the Department of Youth affairs & sports during celebration of the International Youth Year, 1985.[1]
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951 and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 and 1996 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open, Mumbai Marathon and the Indian Masters. The country is scheduled to host the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.
Administration and funding
Political responsibility for sport in India is with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which is headed by a cabinet minister and managed by National Sport Federations.[2] Sports Authority of India the field arm of the Ministry , supports and nurtures talent in youth, and provides them with requisite infrastructure, equipment, coaching facilities and competition exposure.[3] Dorabji Tata with the support of Dr.A.G.Noehren then Director of YMCA established the Indian Olympic Association in 1927. IOA is responsible for the Indian contingent’s participation in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games(Outdoor-Indoor-Beach) and South Asian Games. Each Olympic and Non-Olympic Sport has a Federation at the National level .[4]
The selection of the National teams is done by the respective National Federations and then recommend to IOA for official sponsorship for participation in the Games being conducted under the auspicious of the International Olympic Committee, Olympic Council of Asia, Commonwealth Games Federation and SAG. A special feature of the Indian Olympic Association is that, the National Federations and the State Olympic Associations are affiliated/recognised to it. The main task of the State Olympic Associations is to Promote the Olympic Sport and to ensure coordination among the State Sports Associations. In 2010-11, total Budget for sports and physical education schemes is 3117.69 crore rupees.[5] Hockey, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals, is officially the national sport. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are India's highest awards for achievements in sports, while the Dronacharya Award is awarded for excellence in coaching.
India at major international events
Main article: India at the Olympics
India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games since 1964.India had won total 20 medals at Olympic Games. India won its first gold medal in Men's Field hockey in 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games. Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and India's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men's Field Hockey Team won the gold.[6][7]
India is remarkable among nations for having won very few Olympic medals despite a population exceeding a billion, around half of them under the age of 25. Numerous explanations have been offered for the dearth, including poverty, malnutrition, neglected infrastructure, the lack of sponsorship, the theft of money and equipment, political corruption, institutional disorganisation, social immobility, the predominance of cricket and other cultural factors.[8][9][10][11]
According to several informal statistics, India is the country in the world with the lowest number of total Olympic medals per capita (of those countries that have actually won at least one medal).
Cricket
Cricket match between India Blue and India Red in progress during NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2006 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India.
Main article: Cricket in India
Cricket has a long history in India and is the de facto national and most popular sport by a wide margin in India. It is like a religion in India played on local, national and international levels and enjoys consistent support from people in all parts of India. Its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as Caste, Religion and Nationality. The highest profile rival of the Indian cricket team is the Pakistan team. Cricket is the most popular Sport in India, but it is not the nation's official national Sport (a distinction held by Field Hockey). The governing body, BCCI, was formed in December 1928.
The India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. Domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the Challenger Series. In addition, BCCI conducts the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition.
Field hockey
The popular sector-42 Hockey stadium in Chandigarh
Main article: Field hockey in India
See also: India national field hockey team and India women's national field hockey team
Field hockey is the official national Sport in India. Hockey India, formed on 20 May 2009, is the new apex body of the country which has the sole mandate to govern and conduct all activities for both men's and women's hockey in India.
Until the mid 20th century, India dominated international Hockey, winning 8 Olympic gold medals, the World Cup in 1975 and were runners-up in the 1973 World Cup. The Indian player Dhyan Chand, the most famous Indian hockey player, was described as a 'wizard' by the European press. However, India's recent performance have been below par and India is currently ranked 9th in the world.
Football
Main article: Football in India
Sayed Rahim Nabi of East Bengal FC and Daniel of Chirag United SC during I league at Salt Lake Stadium.
Football It was introduced during the British occupation and in some areas of the country it is equally as popular as Cricket. India was an Asian powerhouse in the 1960s, finishing as runners up in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, but gradually the standard of Football has gone down compared to other countries and India currently ranks 144 in the FIFA rankings as of 20 August 2010. The sport is, nevertheless, widely popular both as a Spectator Sport and as a Participation Sport and is controlled by the national team. The Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata is the second largest non-auto racing stadium in the world.
On the 23 June 1937 at the Army Headquarters, Simla, the All India Football Federation was formed at a meeting of the representatives of Football Associations of 6 regions where the game was very popular in those days. It is the present body of Football in India.
Badminton
Badminton is a popular Sport in India. Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal is currently ranked second[14] in the world and has been named the Most Promising Player of 2008 by the Badminton World Federation. This is the first ever achievement by any Indian shuttler, after Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand who both won the All England Open in 1980 and 2001 respectively.
Golf
Golf is a growing Sport in India. It is especially popular among the wealthier classes and has not yet caught on with others due to its expense. The most successful Indian Golfer is Jeev Milkha Singh who has won 3 titles during the European Tour, 4 during the Japan Golf Tour and 6 during the Asian Tour. Although his current world ranking is 36, his highest ranking has been 28 (in March 2009). Sing has won the Asian Tour order of merit 2 times. Other Indians who have won the Asian tour order of merit are Jyoti Randhawa in 2002 (the first Indian to achieve this) and Arjun Atwal, who went on in 2010 to become the first India-born player to become a member of, and later won the U.S.-based PGA Tour.
There are numerous golf courses all over India. There is an Indian Golf Tour. India's men's golf team won gold at the 1982 Asian Games and silver at the 2006 Asian Games. Lakshman Singh won the individual gold at the 1982 Asian Games.
Chess
Vishwanathan Anand is an Indian chess Grand Master and the current World Chess Champion.
Chess has risen in popularity in India in the last few decades primarily due to its star player GM Vishwanathan Anand. He is the current World Champion and he has revolutionized the popularity of this Sport in India. Also it is believed that the game originated from India.
Motorsports
Force India drivers at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.
Motorsport is a popular Spectator Sport in India, although there are relatively few competitors compared to other sports due to the high costs of competing. On 1 February 2005, Narain Karthikeyan became India's first Formula One racing driver. On March 2007, he also became the first ever Indian-born driver to compete in a NASCAR Series. He debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the Kroger 250.[15] Force India F1 is a Formula One motor racing team. The team was formed in October 2007, when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for € 88 million.[16] After going through 29 races without a point, Force India won their first Formula One World Championship points and podium place when Giancarlo Fisichella finished second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.[17] New Delhi is scheduled to host the Indian Grand Prix in 2011 at Jaypee Group Circuit in Greater Noida, 50 km from New Delhi. Karun Chandhok currently drives for the Hispania Racing in 2010 Formula One season.
Tennis
Leander Paes (left), along with his former team-partner Mahesh Bhupati (right), has won seven tennis Grand Slam doubles titles.
Tennis is a popular Sport among Indians in urban areas. However, India's fortunes in the Grand Slams singles have been unimpressive although Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have won many Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles Grand Slam Titles. Sania Mirza is the only notable Indian woman Tennis player, having won a WTA title and breaking in to the Top 30 WTA rankings. On the men's side, young Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri are flying India's flag on ATP Tour. Yuki is the current Australian Open junior singles champion.
Other sports (nationally played)
Volleyball
Volleyball is a Sport played all over India, both in rural as well as urban India. It is a popular recreation Sport. India is ranked 5th in Asia and 27th in the world. Doing doing well in the youth and junior levels, India came in second in the 2003 World youth championships. Currently, a major problem for the sport is the lack of sponsors. Indian senior men's team is currently ranked 46th in the world.[18]
Basketball
Main articles: Basketball in India and India national basketball team
Basketball is a popular Sport in India. It is played in almost every schools, although very few people take it professionally. India has both a men's and women's national teams in Basketball. It also made 1 Olympic appearance in Basketball and appeared 20 times in the Asian Championship. India is currently ranked 41st in the world in Basketball.