As I have said before, I dig Indians, what with their charming computer help desk demeanor, sophisticated tradition of philosophy, art and music, kick ass work ethic, and some seriously hot babes (holy almond-eyed mother of Shiva!) 
- in fact India was won two Miss Universe and four Miss World crowns in the last ten years.
But when it comes to the Olympics, India, with the second largest population in the world - over 1 BILLION people - has won 17 Olympic medals, EVER. The NBC Olympic site relates what it euphemistically calls India's
- OLYMPIC TRADITION
Eleven of India's 16 total medals, including eight golds, have come in men's field hockey. The nation won six consecutive Olympic titles and 30 matches in a row from 1928-1960, outscoring its opponents 197-8 before losing the 1960 final 1-0 to rival Pakistan. India avenged the loss with a 1-0 victory over Pakistan for gold in 1964. Until tennis player Leander Paes earned bronze in men's singles in 1996, India had not won an individual medal since 1952. In 2000, Karnam Malleswari took bronze in women's weightlifting at 69kg/152 lbs.
OLYMPIC LEGENDS
Dhyan Chand, an Army captain, won three Olympic gold medals in field hockey and scored an astounding 38 goals in 12 matches from 1928-36. In the 1936 final against Germany, playing barefoot, Chand scored six goals in an 8-1 victory for India. He later coached the national team.
Rock that field hockey, Captain. But even Indian field hockey has fallen on tough times - note the title of this story in the Indian Times:
- Another bad day for India at Athens
It was another miserable day for India at the 28th Olympiad on Monday as the hockey team squandered two leads to draw 2-2 with Argentina in the final league match and a below form Saraswati Saha crashed out in the first round of the women's 200 metres.
The only consolation, if it can be termed so, was that the hockey team will finish no lower than their worst ever eighth at the 1996 Atlanta Games as they now play in classification matches for fifth to eight places.
And, as officials of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) struggled to maintain order in the team, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi visited the Olympic Village to administer a pep talk to the players - and have lunch with them.
"Play like a team," Kalmadi told them, but this did not seem to have much of an effect - as was evidenced in the scoreline against Argentina.
....In athletics, Saraswati Saha ran well outside her personal best, timing 23.43s against her best of 23.01s. She looked very tight in the last 70 metres and ended fifth in a heat that had six runners.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Bruce Kratofil
Don't forget "Bend it Like Beckham"!
2 - JR
India should lobby to make arguing an Olympic sport. They'd kick ass.
3 - Eric Olsen
Good point Bruce.
"Bend It" may help explain some of the problems of the female athletes, but what about the other half the country?
4 - Bruce Kratofil
Just blame it on the residual evils of living under British colonialism for so long, I guess.
5 - Eric Olsen
hmm, does colonialism make it more or less likely that India would value success in the OLympics?
6 - JR
hmm, does colonialism make it more or less likely that India would value success in the OLympics?
Australia, Canada and South Africa have done well in the Olympics. But in those countries the indigenous cultures were marginalized, unlike India.
7 - Eric Olsen
good point JR, I am inclined to think this is inherent in Indian culture rather than a byproduct of colonialism.
I also think all they would have to do is put their collective mind to it and they would improve quickly, but that decision apparently is yet to be made, for all the hand wringing.
8 - Zelda
1 Billion Population 1 medal!! Great work, the land of atheletes.
9 - Eric Olsen
I think it's a matter of priorities and they have make it more of one if they want to do better
10 - JR
I think they have their priorities straight - they produce plenty of scientists. And they seem to be doing rather better than we are right now at creating high-tech jobs.
Who the hell needs athletes?
11 - Eric Olsen
all work and no play makes Anju a dull boy
12 - JR
That's what music is for, and they've got plenty of that.
What India certainly does not need is the glorification of athletics that creates some of the violent sociopaths we've got in this country. Is this what Anju should to aspire to?
And science is actually work and play. I've met scientists; they are the least dull people in the world.
13 - Eric Olsen
For any number of good reasons including national pride and unity, the well-being of their own athletes, the general physical well-being of the nation, international stature, it is wise and worthwhile to make make a concerted effort to do well in international athletics.
Is there such thing as over-emphasis? Many of the problems you are referring to are specific to American football and to our scholastic and collegiate systems of sport, which basically means football and basketball.
It doesn't make sense to throw out the baby with the bathwater - read above how the Indians are talking about themselves: that is not healthy
14 - David
Eric is ABSOLUTELY right!
Please do not just blame and sneer others, learn from the successful experience from China and start to do it by yourself!
15 - Eric Olsen
thanks David, and it doesn't have to be done with the maniacal intensity of the Chinese - just stating publicly that the country is going to focus more on athletics and creating a budget for training and facilities would be a big step in the right direction. With that volume of people to draw from, a little encouragement and attention from the government could go a long way
16 - Laura Philliposis
Or r they too practical a people? better to get all the jobs from the west than some meaningless medals? I wonder...
17 - An Indian
The discussion is very interesting and as an Indian I know how terrible I feel when I see all these people just obsessed with cricket. I go crazy when I hear negative talk about loosing and stuff.......It is as though an Indian cannot and will not ever win an international athletic event. They can only study and be doctors and engineers and thats all. Even in those fields they do not have any pioneers just followers .......Who study the Western trends and simply copy them. India lost the orginality is once had. The teachings of yoga and the Vedas that the Hindus of India researched and studied are far more advanced than any Western medical development. If so, then, "Why won't they let the world know what they are made off?" This goes back to the very nature of non-agressiona and peace that the founding Hindus believed in. Westerners would call them 'tree huggers' Well I only hope that they change and don't consider sports as false pride and understand that they are a necessity.
18 - kapil1982
Well, let me first introduce myself. I am Software engineer and working for a elite software company in india. From my childhood i was inclined towards sports although i was very good at studies too. Well 'Why indians dont win medals in Olympics and other world level games'? Answer in simple. Parents tell kids to study and not to play because you will become dumb doing so. So the kid will work hard and will become a software engineer making softwares for a US client and will teach his/her child to do the same. Because survival in india is important not some medals. I have seen players commiting suicides in india because of their poverty. Man, scene is gloomy i must say.Every indian wants to make those few rupees/dollars more and will die one day silently. No life of significance...
19 - Sreeraman M.G
India wins it's first individual olympic gold medal at Beijing through Abhinav Bindra in the 10m air rifle category. Way to go India. Perhaps this is the one among the many to come in the future years.
20 - Akhil Sharma
Ok Sreeraman. If you're being serious you should kick yourself in the balls a couple times because that has to be the most pathetic thing I have ever heard, ppl in India are acting like men but not being men, WTF happened to mardanigiri, Fukking shooting air rifles, a bronze in wightlifting, WTF that is pure bullshit. Lets do swimming, basketball, soccer, and you know what about soccer its the cheapest sport, you buy a ball u kick it around, thats it. Just pure bull shit, I was at a pool in a university with a bunch of university kids that were INDIAN and I gave them half a pool lead, and I beat them in a race, and I am not even on a swim team, and not only that I am 15 thats pathetic.
21 - Sreeraman M.G
@AKHIL SHARMA: So what is your point mate!
22 - B S Kumar
Why do we all assume that it is absolutely necessary for every country to prove its prowess at the Olympics? Some countries love their sports, and so does India, but maybe it just isn't important enough for Indians to dedicate their lives to sport. So what? American food is lousy, but we don't have a worldwide cuisine competition to criticize how unimaginative American cooking has always been, do we?
23 - STM
Yes, I know this is an old post, but ... Well, they might not do that well at the Olympics, but geez, they can play cricket a bit.
Eric's probably hit the nail on the head in regard to cricket, at least in relation to boys. Just about every boy over the age of five in India can be found on a street corner every evening pretending to be Shane Warne or Sachin Tendulkar. That's how they hone their cricket skills, by bowling over and over again at a few sticks of wood whenever they have the chance, or belting a tennis ball against a wall a thousand times a day with a makeshift cricket bat.
That might not mean much to Americans, but elsewhere in the English-speaking world it's way bigger than baseball ever will be and is also a genuine international sport.
That's the truth of it ... cricket's a national obsession in India, it's their only true national sport, and they are very, very good at it - and unbelievably passionate competitors and fans.
Excellence at anything else doesn't mean much and really pales in comparison. In India, Test and international limited-over cricket players are gods ... and very well remunerated for earning that honour, not just by Indian standards but anyone's standards.
24 - supreetha
Dear Sir,
With due respect i appreciate your concern about Indian sports.Its really sad to know the poor performance of India in Olympiads.Actually all Indians, more or less are cricket fans. Our national game is hockey, which is also not given due importance as cricket.The government, public must take keen interest in uplifting sports in India. Children should be given proper direction in primary level itself in the field of their interest.
25 - PuzzledPanda
errr Mr Olsen sir, the answer to India failing at sport is simple, they suck. They're physically inferior and add a really bad diet to the mix. And most of all you need discipline to be a top level sportsman, Indians in reality are lazy. It's when they leave India and go to a western society that they change and try to act industrious knowing fully well that people won't put up with their bull.