Date: 26/09/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Phrases: Soft power, Poor population-to-medal ratios, NITI Aayog, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), TOPS Elite Athletes’ Identification Committee, Mission Olympic Cell, harness Private investment, separate politics from sports

Why in News?

• “Soft power”, as American political scientist Joseph Nye Jr. said in the late 1980s, is a “power of attraction through culture, political ideas, and policies rather than coercion” that military hard power exhibits.
• This is now being reflected in increased interest, especially by smaller nations in the world, in investing more and doing well in elite sports as it is thought that success in international sporting events boosts a nation’s chances of attaining soft power.

A survey:

• Dongfeng Liu (International Professor of Sport Management for the Shanghai campus of the Sports Business School) surveyed French citizens in 2020 on China’s performance in the Olympics and their impressions of China based on its rising medal count, and it was found that a country’s Olympic achievement has a positive effect on its national soft power.

China’s soft power through sports:

• As China is a communist country, there tends to be a prejudiced view of its human rights record and the standing of its minorities, which does not result in a positive perception of China, or for that matter, even Russia or North Korea. It is very difficult for these countries to build “branding” for themselves.
• China uses its superiority in elite sports to build “people-to-people” relations with other countries.
• For example, athletes from African countries such as Madagascar are trained in swimming, badminton, table tennis, etc. in China, which helps Beijing create a positive impact on a wider population and results in better formal relations as well.
• There is also China’s memorandum of understanding with countries such as Kenya so that Chinese runners can train with Kenyan athletes, as they are among the best in the world when it comes to long-distance running.

India’s tortoise-like walk:

• Poor population-to-medal ratios:
  • India’s medal tally in the Tokyo Olympics Games — seven — was its most decorated Olympic Games in Indian history.
  • But India has one of the world’s poorest population-to-medal ratios when it comes to the Olympics. India has won 35 medals at the Olympics since the 1900 edition.
• Low exposure at the school level:
  • Professional engagement in sports is hampered by the relatively low and scant exposure of Indians to sports at the elementary school level.
• Need for a favourable atmosphere:
  • In 2016, a NITI Aayog report came up with a 20-point plan to improve India’s Olympics performance.
  • The report said India still lacks a favourable atmosphere for sports to polish the skills of early-stage athletes.
  • It recommended efforts to be made at the family, community school, regional academies, and State and national levels to improve things.
• funding:
  • Ensuring competent coaches, and having adequate funding and more sports academics remain major issues even decades later.
  • A reply in Parliament (2018) said that India spends only three paise per day per capita on sports. In contrast, China spends ₹6.1 per day per capita.

Opportunities through Mega sporting events

• Mega sporting events generate viewership in the billions. So, they provide a platform for countries to showcase their culture, values, and tradition.
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed that the Tokyo Olympic Games were watched by over 3.05 billion people, a 74 percent increase in digital viewers from Rio 2016.
• This proves that there is a great opportunity for India to use such events as a platform to enhance its soft power that relies on its cultural heritage.

How India can increase its sporting performance and soft power?

• Separate politics from sports:
  • The Government must move quickly to separate politics from sports.
  • Former players, rather than politicians, should be chosen to lead sports organizations.
• MoUs with nations that excel in specific sports:
  • India should concentrate on forging MoUs with nations that excel in specific sports.
  • The aim should be to train Indian players overseas. For example, Australia and the United Kingdom can assist us in swimming given their standing here.
  • When it comes to running, negotiating collaborative training agreements with African countries such as Kenya would be ideal.
  • There should be no politics in seeking or even offering assistance. Take this example too: China has requested Indian assistance in improving cricket development in China.
• TOPS scheme:
  • China too also had a similar scheme — has demonstrated that focusing on a few sports is beneficial for a country such as India, which is striving to enhance its sporting abilities and standing.
  • India needs to boost the number of athletes under TOPS — at least 500 athletes should train under the scheme to foster a competitive climate, in turn aiding performance.
• Need to harness Private investment to develop infrastructure:
  • The better a country performs in sporting events the greater a sports person’s interest in their sports atmosphere. s
  • This also creates a huge market for private players to invest in. For example, leading corporate houses in India have already shown how their active participation and investment can improve sporting performance as a result of unique corporate sports programs.
  • The Government should also work on a public-private partnership (PPP) model to create basic sporting infrastructure, as recommended by NITI Aayog, at the district level so that talent can be captured at an early stage.

Conclusion:

• It is always important to remember that sports are primarily intended to be a universal language of communication, uniting continents, and different peoples of the world.
• This means that it is necessary to realize the powerful potential of “sports diplomacy”.
• India should improve its success ratio in international sporting events and utilize the positive effect of this as an opportunity to increase soft power.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. How can sport be used as a tool of soft power in modern international relations? Suggest some measures to increase India’s sporting performance and soft power.