Is winning everything? Six outstanding qualities that Sports can teach you!

In the ongoing Olympics at Rio, the Indian contingent has cut a sorry figure, when it comes to the medal tally. Shobha De was quick to jump the gun and made remarks, which were in bad taste and she was trolled for the same.

Well she was certainly wrong in her statement but on the other hand, one can’t ignore the fact that India has sent one of the largest contingents to Rio but the results have been pretty dismal from a medals perspective. However, on the other hand all these athletes have toiled hard over the years and they have rightfully earned their place to compete in Rio, can’t be denied.

Since India has not invested in sporting infrastructure, nor are there any programs by Government to identify talent at a young age and groom them for becoming World Champions, we may have few bright spots like PV Sindhu, Sakshi, Dipa Karmakar or a Lalita Babar but they will be far and few in between.

Our son has been playing ‘lawn tennis’ for over 8 years. He represents his State in ‘School Nationals’, he competes in the National tournaments, he has been ranked in ‘top 20’ consistently in his age group but we have not received a single penny as support from anyone so far. We have invested millions of Rupees for him to pursue his passion, sacrifice his studies but every time he competes, we have to spend our own airfare, hotel accommodation, one of the parents accompanies him etc. How can we expect to produce ‘world champions’ if this is the kind of support or lack of it that prevails in the country?

Are we angry or disappointed that he hasn’t won the ‘Nationals’ so far, that he hasn’t represented his country in ‘Junior Davis Cup’; obviously not. Sports is a tough journey and it involves huge sacrifice on the part of the sportsperson and their parents, as he / she spends countless hours in heat, humidity, gym to hone up their skills. When their friends are going out for movies, picnic, concerts; they are toiling in the sun. They have to maintain strict discipline, balance their sports and studies, be conscious of what they eat and drink etc.

Competing at the highest level, teaches you many things, much beyond winning:

• Discipline and Determination – following a particular regime day in and day out is tough. It teaches you that we need to be dogged in our determination and be willing to sacrifice, if we have to achieve our dreams.    
  
• You win some and you lose some – winning and losing is a part of life. You are not a loser, if you are willing to get up and give it one more shot. You have to learn from your mistakes and emerge stronger for your next battle. 

• Continuous improvement is your goal – every day, you have to be better than what you were yesterday. Self-evaluation and self-consciousness is the key to continuous improvement. 
  
• The role of a Coach and Mentor – if you have to excel in sports, you need a good ‘coach’, who can show you the mirror, open your mind to new possibilities and push you beyond the self-imposed limits. The coach plays one of the biggest roles in the life of a sportsperson and if you are able to find the right coach in the beginning of your journey, half the job is already done. Equally crucial is the job of a mentor, who can be your senior or family member, who you can confide in, who is there to give a shoulder when you are feeling low, who will believe in you, when you stop believing in yourself. 

• Ability to take risks – in our lives, many of us can’t reach our potential as there are too many ‘fears’ that we worry about, whether it’s job security or work life balance or what if we don’t reach our goal etc. Dipa Karmakar went for ‘Produnova’ vault to achieve the ultimate glory – a vault so dangerous that it’s shunned by most American and European athletes and is even called “vault of death”. But that ultimate risk, the quest for glory, has captured Dipa into millions of hearts worldwide. 
  
• Mental toughness – it’s all in the mind, is oft stated and the same is true to a great extent. If you believe it, you can do it. Sports teaches you mental toughness like no other. It’s more than often the difference between ‘gold and silver’ or ‘winner and runner up’. 
  
• Passion for excellence – it’s important to be passionate about excellence in sports and in professional life. Doing it again and again, till you get it right, till it becomes a habit, till it’s ingrained in your mind and body, is another attribute of top class sportspersons. 
  

While there is a lot that India can do to produce ‘world beaters’ but I would encourage every parent to have their child play atleast one sport and pursue their dream. You can be rest assured that if they don’t become ‘world champions’, they will definitely become better ‘human beings and leaders’, which will help them in their professional lives, in case they don’t end up taking sport as their full time profession. 

I have purposely shied away from giving my recommendations on what the Govt. and Corporates can do to promote sports at a grassroots level. If you are interested, you can read this article by Deep Mukherjee, Star Sports: https://www.nationalskillsnetwork.in/sports-in-india/

Look forward to your views and comments as always.