Sports and physical education are necessary components of human development, good health, and companionship and have a spirit of friendly competition. This has a positive impact on the overall development of the personality Brilliance in sports enhances a person’s sense of achievement, national pride, and patriotism.
India is one of the few countries that have retained indigenous sports like; kabaddi, kho-kho, Gilli-danda, etc. India is also where some of the oldest forms of martial arts originated like Musti yuddha, Kalerippayattu, Silambam as well as Marma Adi. India also has a few board games, the most popular of which is the chaturanga, believed to be the origin of modern chess. This is further reinforced with the rise of many chess grandmasters from the country. India has been a part of modern sports for a long time. With the popularity of cricket and hockey, India started participating in the commonwealth games, Asian Games, Cricket world cup for an international platform. India has also been a part of the Olympics since the 1900s. Sportsmen like Dhyanchand also known as the Hockey Wizard brought a lot of fame to the country.
The most popular sport that has taken India to greater heights is cricket. Cricket is a religion and the Indian society is associated with the sport wherever they are across the world. The sport is played at all levels and ages starting from the grassroots up to a national level. The second most popular sport in India is Chess. India boasts of the invention in the game. Its innovation has popularized the game into a world-class competition. A legend known as Vishwanathan Anand took the sport through the period known as obscurity and transformed it into an interesting and a world hit. Another popular sport in India is football which is rated second to cricket. This game is played around the country and as even as a favorable sport in some states like Goa and West Bengal. Kolkata is regarded as the home of Indian football. Besides cricket, hockey is taken in India as another national sport. Though the country was under political suppression for many years, the spirit of the sport did not die with the intimidations. The Indian Hockey team proved to the world that it is a force to reckon with. Another popular sport in India is Tennis, though this game was “exported” to India by the Englishmen, the Indian tennis team boasts of some world-class admired players. The ideal tennis players in India have razor-sharp playing concentration, stamina and superior agility in fighting spirit, and high devoted sporting personality.
In Olympics 2021, India has won 1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze. India could have performed better if proper infrastructure facilities and catching the young at the right time could have taken place. There has to be an integrated policy to link sports to national and youth development because there are various advantages of sports. Sports help in balancing physical and mental development. But most importantly, it inculcates a sense of discipline and a spirit of sportsmanship which is very vital for the development of youth as well as the nation. The conditions should be made favorable in such a way that more and more youngsters are motivated towards entering and excelling in sports.
