India has always been the country of sportsmen, and that is the reason we win medals in all international championships. We have a history of victory in most of all the sports including hockey, archery, shooting, table tennis and so on. Every coming year, our country gives us a new sports sensations. Be it Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Abhinav Bindra, Sania Nehwal, PV Sindhu or Sushil Kumar. All of these were hidden talents and we would never have known them, had they not participated and won medals at sports championships. Now the question is, what if India Boycott Common Wealth Games 2022.
Yes, there is news that the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) is planning to boycott CWG 2022 games that are going to take place in Birmingham. Their concern is valid as they are responding to the decision of the Common Wealth Federation (CWF). The CWF last month decided to exclude shooting from the list. There are reports which says we won’t see shooting in Common Wealth Games Birmingham.
According to IOA, India scored the third position in 2018 CWG because of the medals we have won in shooting and they are not pleased with the decision as has opposed it saying it will impact India’s overall position. Their concern is genuine because in previous commonwealth games, India won 66 medals in total while the shooting section alone won 16 of them. That is the reason India ranked third in the total medals count. If the next CommonWealth Federation (CWF) will exclude shooting, IOA fears that our position would reduce to 7th or 8th rank if shooting is excluded.
2/2 Boycotts don’t win you influence. They just make you irrelevant and punish other athletes. Would be far better if IOA did a campaign to load the CWG committees with their people and allies and push for the inclusion of shooting onto the core list of sports for the future.
— Abhinav Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) July 28, 2019
Also it is not beneficial for the sportsmen who practice day and night just in the hope to win medals at the CommonWealth Games. So, that’s the reason why India Boycott Commonwealth Games.
EVERY ACTION HAS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION, So is the case with IOA’s decision.
While there are people who support the decision and calls it a time to nationalism, there are some who do not agree with this stand. Though IOA is a govt. body and has the authority to take a stand, and we would have to support them, there is a group of sportsmen who don’t think it’s the correct move.
The first name that comes to the list is of Abhinav Bindra, who himself has gained success because of shooting. He does not believe it’s the correct choice because if India Boycott Common Wealth Games it would severely impact on the players who belong to other sports and work hard for these games.
BOYCOTTS DON’T WIN YOU INFLUENCE. THEY JUST MAKE YOU IRRELEVANT AND PUNISH OTHER ATHLETES” – Abhinav Bindra
Another opinion that is getting acclaim is that the medals are significant for Indian players not only for fame, but they also are essential for their living. We know it is true, as we have seen the movies like Dangal where we learned that the authorities only release funds only for a few games, especially the ones where people have won medals. So, if someone wants funds for better practice equipment and conditions, then they would first have to win medals.
Another prominence of winning medals is that they become eligible for govt. jobs under the sports quota to ensure a better lifestyle for their families. If India Boycott Common Wealth Games only for the sake of shooting, keeping other sports and players at stake, then it would be a partial decision.
I have tried to present different perspectives, but the final decision lies in the hands of IOA and CWF as they are going to meet regarding this. The CWF, however, wants to convince Indian Olympics Association and says, “We absolutely want India to participate wholeheartedly in Birmingham 2022 and look forward to meeting our colleagues in India over the coming months to discuss their concerns and future ambitions.”
