From barefoot runs to Olympic podiums: India’s daughters win medals, but why does our sports policy fail them?

India’s sporting daughters are defeating poverty, hunger, gender discrimination and the absence of basic facilities to win medals at national and international competitions. Their extraordinary journeys raise an uncomfortable question: why does the system celebrate champions after victory instead of identifying, supporting and nurturing them before they become champions? Himachal Pradesh, like the rest of India, needs a fundamental rethink of its sports policy.Imagine a young girl in a remote Himalayan village running barefoot to school, sprinting along mountain paths in torn shoes, and returning home to help her family before finding time to practise her favourite sport. There is no synthetic track, no modern gymnasium, no nutritionist and often no qualified coach. Her parents struggle to put two nutritious meals on the table. Yet, she dreams of representing India at the Olympics.Somewhere in rural India, a mother may be selling her goats, borrowing money or even parting with a piece of family land to finance her daughter’s sporting ambition. Elsewhere, a budding shooter depends on borrowed equipment, a boxer practises punches against sandbags hanging in a cowshed, and a wrestler trains in a makeshift village akhara, fighting opponents on soil rather than on professionally maintained mats.These are not merely stories of sporting determination. They expose the contradictions of a system that expects world-class performances from athletes who are frequently denied world-class opportunities.Why must a poor family make extraordinary sacrifices before the government recognises an extraordinary talent?Champions who challenged more than their opponentsIndia’s sporting history is rich with women who overcame adversity to reach the highest podiums.Haryana’s Sakshi Malik, raised in a society where women wrestlers had to challenge entrenched gender stereotypes, won an Olympic bronze medal at Rio 2016. Her achievement demonstrated that determination, sustained training and opportunity could overcome barriers that had long kept girls away from wrestling.Vinesh Phogat, from Haryana’s celebrated wrestling family, fought her way into the international elite despite social resistance and the formidable pressures of competitive sport. Her career also reminds us that athletes must navigate the institutions governing their sports, not merely defeat opponents on the mat.From Manipur, Mary Kom rose from a modest background to become a multiple-time world boxing champion and an Olympic bronze medallist at London 2012. Her journey challenged assumptions about women, motherhood, poverty and participation in a physically demanding sport.Lovlina Borgohain, from Assam, overcame financial and infrastructural constraints to become an international boxing star, winning an Olympic bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.Then there is Avani Lekhara, who won two gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, demonstrating extraordinary skill and resilience in shooting. Her achievements underline the importance of accessible training, specialised equipment and sustained institutional support.The journeys of Salima Tete and Nikki Pradhan, from Jharkhand, also illustrate how players from relatively disadvantaged regions can rise through the ranks of Indian women’s hockey and compete on the international stage.These athletes did not face identical circumstances. Nor should their individual journeys be reduced to a single narrative of poverty. Yet, their achievements share an important lesson: India’s sporting talent is distributed far more widely than its quality sporting infrastructure.The failure of medal-first mindsetOur sports administration often appears most enthusiastic after an athlete has won a medal. Cash awards, government jobs, felicitations and headlines follow success. But who pays for years of uncertain training, expensive equipment, travel, coaching and nutrition before that moment?For a poor family, the cost of a shooting rifle, boxing gear, wrestling equipment or repeated journeys to a training centre can be prohibitive. In remote Himalayan settlements, distance, difficult terrain and inadequate transport add another layer of disadvantage.A child without access to a trained coach may never discover her potential. A talented girl may abandon sport because her family cannot afford nutritious food or safe accommodation. Another may leave because social prejudice discourages her from travelling away from home.These are lost medals that never appear in official statistics.The fundamental weakness is not necessarily the absence of sports policies or schemes. It is the failure to ensure that opportunities reach talented children early, consistently and equitably.Himachal Pradesh needs a grassroots sporting revolutionFor Himachal Pradesh, this challenge is particularly significant. Scattered settlements, mountainous terrain and long distances make centralised sports facilities insufficient. A policy designed around district headquarters and established academies cannot adequately serve children in remote villages.The state needs a decentralised, village-first approach. Seema’s bronze medal at the recent Asian Games in Japan, and her hunger for a medal at the next Olympics, show how she and her family from a remote village in Chamba have suffered and overcome adversity. She is not alone. There are many Seemas, Ritu Negis and Bhavna Thakurs who have the talent, grit and potential to reach the pinnacle of sport. But what needs to be done?First, schools, panchayats and local sports clubs should conduct regular talent-identification programmes, with special outreach to girls and economically disadvantaged children.Second, promising athletes must receive support before winning medals: nutritious meals, equipment, coaching, travel assistance, scholarships and access to suitable training facilities. Selection should consider demonstrated potential, commitment, financial need and training requirements, rather than previous medals alone.Third, safe hostels, female coaches, reliable transport, clean sanitation facilities and effective grievance-redressal mechanisms must become integral to women’s sports development.Fourth, Himachal should prioritise functional village-level training facilities, qualified coaches and regular competitions over an excessive emphasis on expensive infrastructure that remains underutilised. Remote and tribal regions need programmes adapted to their geography and local sporting traditions.Finally, sports budgets must be transparent. The government should publish information on expenditure reaching grassroots athletes, the distribution of facilities, the availability of coaches and the progress of supported players. Independent evaluations should establish whether public investment is actually expanding access and improving performance.These reforms should complement national initiatives, including Khelo India, through measurable outcomes rather than announcements alone.Invest in potential, not just podiumsIndia’s daughters have demonstrated that world-class sporting ability does not belong exclusively to metropolitan cities, affluent families or elite academies. It can emerge from a village akhara, a modest school playground or a makeshift training space.But for every Mary Kom, Sakshi Malik, Lovlina Borgohain or Avani Lekhara who reaches the international stage, how many potentially gifted girls never get the opportunity to begin?We celebrate the champion who raises the tricolour, yet rarely ask whether the next champion has proper shoes, adequate food, a qualified coach or money to travel to the next competition.The success of a sports policy must not be measured only by the medals won. It must also be measured by how many talented children are discovered, supported and given a fair chance to compete.Governments must honour their champions, but their greater responsibility is to identify tomorrow’s champions before poverty, distance, gender discrimination and inadequate facilities extinguish their dreams.India’s next Olympic medallist may be running barefoot on a village road today.The question is not whether she has the talent to win. The question is whether our sports policy will give her the opportunity to try.Disclaimer: Views expressed above are the author's own.