The Olympic Games, or Olympics, are a global, multi-sport competition that takes place every four years and features athletes from more than 200 countries dating back to 1896 in Athens, Greece. It has been the benchmark of excellence in many sports including India’s national sport, hockey.
This year, the prestigious event took place in Paris and was filled with controversies.
While India was not able to bag a gold medal, unlike the previous two iterations, our athletes made big strides this year. Lakshya Sen became the first Indian to reach the men’s semifinal in shuttle events while beating top seeded opponents.
Vinesh Phogat also became the first female Indian wrestler to reach the Olympic final but was disqualified due to being 100g over the weight limit for her category. On the bright side, the hockey team beat Australia for the first time since 1972 and got the bronze, making it the second time in 52 years that the men’s hockey team won medals back-to-back.
India also had a historic best medal tally in shooting by Manu Bhakar and Swapnil bagging three bronze medals. Our only silver was won by Neeraj Chopra in Javelin throw who lost against the Pakistani thrower who made a new world record.
In this Olympics, we were not able to win any gold medal, but our athletes have achieved many impossible feats and will continue to do so as more facilities are opened. To support the Indian team, many private companies have come forward with sponsorships which have, in turn, helped provide world class facilities to all athletes.
We can expect to win more medals in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and finally live up to our name as Indians.
