Exclusive - 'More Olympic medals will come for India, but do not compare'

Vivek Singh, Procam Jt MD, believes that the eminence that sports is enjoying in India as well as the various popularity of different sporting personalities points to a cultural revolution in India.

India had their best-ever show in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. (Image credit: Rani Rampal Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Aug 20, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The Tokyo Olympics 2020 became a golden chapter for India and its sports. The country won a total of seven medals, which became their best tally in the 125 years of the Games. Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in javelin, which was the first athletics gold by an Indian in the history of the Olympics. The Northeast of the country churned out brilliant medal winners in Mirabai Chanu of Manipur and Lovlina Borgohain of Assam. Mirabai Chanu secured the silver medal in weightlifting while Borgohain settled for bronze.

The total of seven medals became a watershed moment for the country. Athletics, wrestling and other sports like weightlifting, badminton and boxing all contributed to the success. There was also a great sight of millions of Indians looking up the rulebook for golf. Aditi Ashok came close to winning a medal in golf on the final day of the Olympics. The increased awareness of other sports is a welcome sight when it came to the sporting ethos of the nation.

But, one individual believes this is the start of a cultural revolution when it comes to sports in the country. Vivek Singh, the Jt MD of Procam International believes a beautiful base is been built for sporting mentalities to change in the country. The Olympics performance is a symbol of the cultural change.

‘Medals will come’

Speaking to Sportslumo.com exclusively, Vivek Singh said the eminence and status that sports is enjoying in modern India is something it never enjoyed during the last three decades or so.

“The Olympic medals will come. It depends on the system and on the grassroots. The problem in the Olympics is that it makes you compare. Sport is a competition. Sports has never enjoyed the status, centre stage, money, funding and awareness that has today. Sportsmen and sportswomen have never enjoyed the pre-eminence that they are enjoying today. The cultural revolution is happening in India,” Vivek Singh told Sportslumo.

But, he cautions that comparisons can be harmful. When one compares numbers and performances with other countries, it ignores the current situation that is developing in a good way in the country. The respect that sporting individuals enjoy nowadays is in stark contrast to years of apathy that had existed in the current system.

“Medals is one thin layer atop a cake of excellence called the Olympics. The cake was not there before. The unfortunate thing in the Olympics is that we tend to compare. I can understand that it is sport and comparisons do crop up. I am now seeing the cake being built beautifully. There was no such money and consciousness. They were treated poorly in the country. A revolution has happened on the ground,” Vivek Singh said.

Haile Gebrselassie helps out India in times of COVID-19

Procam has been heavily involved in the Sunfeast India Run as One event. This event was launched in 2020 as a citizen-led digital participatory movement to support the vulnerable sections of society who have lost their livelihoods in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. When it was launched last year, Eliud Kipchoge came on board to motivate the runners. Kipchoge is acknowledged as one of the greatest marathon runners in the history of the moder era.

In this year, Sunfeast India Run as One has roped in Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie. The Ethipian has set 27 world records. Gebrselassie won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event, making him one of the greatest distance runners in history. Vovek Singh said the movement was born to reach out to people and thus, legends have endorsed this initiative.

“When a movement like this was born in the pandemic, it had to grow. This year, we have added jogging, cycling wheelchairs, treadmills to make it inclusive. Last year, we appealed to Eluid Kipchoge to give us the endorsement and he agreed. When we told Haile how inclusive this is, we said yes. It is the strength and power of the movement,” Vivek Singh said.

Creating the base for excellence

Vivek Singh stated that Procam International was not involved in creating excellence for athletes. The main task was to focus on the grassroot and lay a base for the sporting mind-set to develop in India.

“We are not associated with pillars of excellence like Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth. Creating the right environment for grassroots will give excellence. Procam works on movement. We are not working on Olympic medals. We are creating the base, ethos and consciousness for creating awareness on sports,” Vivek Singh said.

Procam International has pioneered several grassroot sporting events in India ever since it was found in 1988. With the country now revelling in the atmosphere of Olympic success, it becomes imperative for grassroot movements to ensure that the mind-set is sustained for a long period of time.