India needs to decide whether hosting mega events like the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the Olympics are meant to develop sports or simply make a statement. That's the blunt assessment of Edwin Moses, the double Olympic gold-medallist hurdler who went into sports administration. He also noted India's historic and ongoing lack of world-class athletes in Olympic sports and said India needs to spend on coaches and infrastructure.
"You can put on the Commonwealth Games or any other event and have all the fanfare and the government involved, and people who have nothing to do with sports-but sit on the front row," Moses told PTI in Madrid. "That's what you want to avoid. That's generally what happens."
India has submitted its Expression of Interest (EOI) to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and is also in the running to bid for the 2036 Olympics after handing a letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee. It's also bid to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup in men's football, a sport that is in shambles both in terms of performance and administration in the country.
India have won 26 medals in the seven Olympic Games of the 21st century, spread over seven sports. Its average rank over those Games is 61.
Asked if hosting these mega events could help find better athletes, Moses was clear: "It depends on what the vision is for having a Commonwealth Games. Is it just to have an event in India, or is it to really develop sports? That's going to be the big question."
He said he was unable to understand why a country of over a billion people couldn't consistently produce world-class athletes. "There's a lot of other countries in the world, much smaller, with much less financial capabilities than India, that produce good athletes," he said. "So, the infrastructure is just not there to support athletes and take Olympic sports seriously.
They have certain areas in which they're really good, but in general, it's probably just the [lack of] infrastructure, coaches, stadiums, and dedication to help athletes become better athletes.
"The question is, is it valuable to the country, other than cricket, which is the big sport there? How much do they value other sports that people may not be familiar with?" he wondered.
"It's going to depend on the people who have been athletes, who are able to make things happen. That's for the people in India to determine. "I don't keep up with the politics of sports over there or what's gone wrong and why isn't a country with a billion people better than others in sports, which doesn't even make sense," he added.