neeraj kumar mehra -m.1.2

8/6/2019 Neeraj Kumar Mehra -M.1.2

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/neeraj-kumar-mehra-m12 1/17

1

INDIA AND MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES By

Neeraj Kumar Mehra

Research Scholar

AnEssay

Submitted toProfessor. Ian Jobling

Professor. Karl LennartzProfessor. Kostas Georgiadis

December, 2010India



2

Contents

I ntroduction

I. India and the Olympic Movement

II. Indian Olympic Association, formation and contribution

III. India and Modern Olympic Games

IV. Recent developments in Olympic movement in India

V. Conclusion

VI. Annexure

VII. Bibliography



3

INDIA AND THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT

Introduction

The name India is derived from Indus , which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu , fromSanskrit 1 Sindhu , the historic local appellation for the Indus River. India is a country in South

Asia2

. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country,and the most populous democracy in the world. The first known permanent settlements appearedabout 8,500 years ago and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation. On 15 August1947, the British Indian Empire was dissolved following which the Muslim-majority areas werepartitioned 3 to form a separate state of Pakistan. The partition led to a population transfer of more than 10 million people between India and Pakistan and the death of about one millionpeople On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effectunder which India was established as a secular and a democratic country. India is federation witha parliamentary form of government. The Constitution of India, the longest and the mostexhaustive among constitutions of independent nations in the world, came into force on 26January 1950. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the

World Trade Organization, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the East AsiaSummit 4, the G20 and the G8+5; 5 a member of the Commonwealth of Nations; and an observerstate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Sports in Indian History

The history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic era. Physical culture in ancient India wasfed by a powerful fuel: religious rites. There were some well-defined values like the mantra inthe Atharva-Veda, saying," Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". Interms of an ideal, these words hold the same sentiments as the traditional Olympic oath: "For theHonour of my Country and the Glory of Sport.

Traditional time: Traditionally, Indians have enjoyed various sporting activities and games.Sports history of India dates back to the Vedic era. Traces of the earliest sport activities such ashunting, swimming, boating, archery, horse riding, wrestling, martial arts, fishing and boardgames like chess, snakes and ladders etc can be seen from ancient bronze ware, paintings etc andfinds mention in books such as the two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The origin anddevelopment of sports activities are closely related with the work, defense and entertainment of the time. Records says that games like, Chess, Snakes and Ladders, Kabbadi, Kho-Kho, playingcards, martial arts of 'Kalari Payattu' etc had originated as a sport in India. Now the mostpopular sports in India are Cricket and Football. In fact, Cricket has become a way of life withIndians and India has an impressive track record in cricket. Traditionally a number of games

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia_Summit5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8%2B5



4

were popular - Kho-Kho, Kabbadi, Gulli- Danda, Wrestling, camel race, Vallamkali (boat race),pachisi are a few amongst them.

Sports during British period

The first recorded game in India took place between Calcutta Club of Civilians' and TheGentlemen of Barrackpore' in 1854.

The Durand Cup is the oldest football competition in India. It was started by Sir MortimerDurand in Shimla.

The Beighton Cup was the first hockey tournament organised in India in Kolkata in the year1895. Another tournament, the Aga Khan Cup was started in the following year, 1896 and wasorganised in Bombay

6

It was in 1903, nine years after the first Panjab University Sports Tournament was started, that

the inter-college hockey competition was introduced.

Indian Olympic Association

IOA the apex Sports Organization of Olympic Sport in the country is responsible for the Indiancontingent’s participation in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games andSouth Asian Games. Each Olympic and Non-Olympic Sport has a separate federation at nationallevels which are affiliated/recognized to/ by IOA. 7

Formation of Indian Olympic Association

The founder Sh. G.D. Sondhi, the first Secretary of the Punjab Olympic Association. Lt.ColH.L.O. Garrett, vice principal of Government College, Lahore, was the President of the founder

6 http://indianolympic.com/7 http://www.olympic.ind.in/ioa_history.html



5

body. The Olympic movement in the country started in 1919 at the initiative of DorabjeeJamshedji Tata, the well-known philanthropist who was the son of the founder of the famousTata Steel Company. In 1919, Pune's Deccan Gymkhana invited Sir George Lloyd, the thenGovernor of Bombay, where Dorabjee Tata made a suggestion for according a separaterepresentation to British India in the 1920 Olympic Games. In 1920, India got direct affiliation tothe International Olympic Committee and it sent six sportsmen — P.F. Chugle and A. Dattar(marathon and 10,000 m), K.Kaikadi (cross-country), P.C.Banerjee (440 yards), G. Navale andN. Shinde (wrestling) to the Antwerp Olympic Games. This brought India on the horizon of international sports.

In the 1928 Olympics, India won its first-ever Olympic gold in hockey. In the same year,Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupendra Singh, and G.D. Sondhi were elected President and Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association, respectively, after both Dorabjee Tata and A.G. Neohrenresigned.

In 1932, when Dorabjee Tata died, G.D. Sondhi became a member of the International OlympicCommittee in his place. Raja Bhalendra Singh and Ashwini Kumar were the other IOC members.

It was again Patiala and G.D. Sondhi that paved the way for the first and the only WesternAsiatic Games in New Delhi in 1934. After Maharaja Bhupendra Singh's death in 1938, his sonYadavindra Singh was elected President.

In 1938, G.D. Sondhi quit as secretary of IOA. This position came back to Punjab in 1957 whenAshwini Kumar was elected the secretary. In 1959, Raja Bhalendra Singh, father of RandhirSingh, became President of the IOA, and continued in office till the early ‘80s.

Contribution of Indian Olympic Association to Indian Sports

The selection of sportsmen is generally carried out on the basis of performance at national level.However, at times, special selection trials are also held to choose the competitors forparticipation in the Olympic Games and other international events. After initial selection, thecompetitors are required to attend training camps. The national federations are assisted by theNetaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala, which provides intensive training for athletes.8

The selected competitors are then recommended by the national federations to the IOA forofficial sponsorship for participation in the Olympic Games.

A special feature of the Indian Olympic Association is that, in addition to the national federationfor each sport, there are State Olympic Associations in various States in the country. The Statebodies controlling the different sports are affiliated to the national federations and to the StateOlympic Associations. The aim of the State Olympic Associations is to ensure the promotion of

8 http://www.olympic.ind.in/ioa_history.html



6

sports in their respective States, in conjunction with the State bodies for the different games andsports. The overall responsibility for participation in the Olympic Games rests with the IndianOlympic Association. The other responsibilities undertaken by the IOA are as follows:

1. Deciding the organisation of National Games2. Maintaining liaison between the Government of India and member federations or

associations3. Protecting the amateur status of sportsmen4. Promoting and developing the Olympic Movement 9

The most important task in addition to sponsoring the National teams for Multi Sport Games isthe staging the National Games. 10

Indian Olympic Games (Early National Games)

The Games were held every two years from 1924 as Indian Olympic Games and were renamedas National Games when they were first held in Bombay in 1940.

National Games of India

The National Games is a sporting event held in India since 1924. It comprises various disciplinesin which sportsmen from the different states of India participate against each other. The founderwas G.D. Sondhi, the first Secretary of the Punjab Olympic Association. Lt.Col H.L.O. Garrett,vice principal of Government College, Lahore, was the President of the founder body.

Modern National Games

The Indian Olympic Association, the premier sports organizing body of the nation, mooted theconcept of the National Games. For several years it was conducted on a low key note. However,the Modern National Games on the lines of the Olympics were held in 1985 in New Delhi.Thereafter Kerala (1987), Pune (1994), Bangalore (1997), Manipur (1999), Ludhiana (2001),Hyderabad (2002) and Guwahati (2007) have hosted the Games.

Periodicity of National Games

The National Games are required to be held once in two years leaving those years in which theOlympic Games and Asian Games are scheduled to be held. Only in exceptional cases or naturalcalamity, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) can allow relaxation from the general rule. Theduration and the regulation of the National Games are entirely within the jurisdiction of IOA. 11

9 http://www.olympic.ind.in/ioa_history.html10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Games_of_India11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Games_of_India



7

Modern Olympic Games and India (1896-1952)

India is an active participant in major world sports tournaments such as the Olympics,Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, SAF Games, Wimbledon and many others.

1896 Athens, Greece

The very first modern Olympic Games were held in the first week of April 1896 at PanathenaicStadium in Athens. The people of Athens greeted the Games with great enthusiasm. 12Polevaulting, sprints, shot put, weight lifting, swimming, cycling, target shooting, tennis, marathonand gymnastics were all events at the first Olympics. The swimming events were held in the Bayof Zea in the Aegean Sea. The American James Connolly won the triple jump to become thefirst Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years. Winners were awarded a silver medal and acrown of olive branches. There was no athlete participated from India.

1900 Paris

The Games of 1900 were held in Paris as part of the Exposition Universelle Internationale - theParis World’s fair. The years Olympics were poorly organized and poorly publicized, because of the fair. It was in this Olympic Games that women first participated as contestants. The firstfemale champion was in tennis, Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain. In athletics, different nationscompeted on the same team in five categories. India first participated in Olympics in 1900 inParis. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidayingin Paris during that time. He bagged two silver medals in 200m. dash and 200m hurdles.

1904 St. Louis, USA

The venue fixed at Chicago was later changed to St. Louis, to coincide with the city’s

International Trade Fair. They were the first at which gold, silver and bronze medals wereawarded for first, second and third place. Events like Boxing and freestyle wrestling wereintroduced for the first time. As the venue of the games was far away from Europe, internationalparticipants were comparatively less because of the huge distance and the expenses for the

journey by ship. One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser,who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood. There was no participant fromIndia.

1908 London, Great Britain

The 1908 Olympics originally awarded to Rome, were reassigned to London. At the Opening

Ceremony, the athletes marched into the stadium by nation, as most countries sent selectednational teams. It was in the 1908 Olympic Games that the exact distance of a marathon was

12 http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/olymp.htm



8

established as 26 miles and 365 yards. Diving and field hockey was added to the events that year.No one from India has participated in these games

1912 Stockholm, Sweden

The 1912 Olympics at Stockholm was very well organized. The Swedish hosts introduced theuse of unofficial electronic timing devices for the track events, as well as the first use of a publicaddress system. Boxing contests were banned in this Olympics. Women's events in swimmingand diving were introduced. The most popular hero of the 1912 Games was Jim Thorpe of theUnited States. 13 Thorpe won the five-event pentathlon and shattered the world record in the ten-event decathlon. After the games, the International Olympic Committee decided to limit thepower of host nations deciding the Olympic program. India did not participate in these games. 14

1916 Berlin, Russia

Though the 1916 Olympic Games were scheduled to be held in Berlin, World War I caused theOlympic Games to be cancelled.

1920 Antwerp, Belgium

The 1920 Olympic Games followed soon after the ending of World War I. Since the war hadravaged throughout Europe, funding and materials for the Games was difficult to acquire. Thenumbers of spectators were very low, mainly because people could not afford tickets after thewar. The Opening Ceremony was notable for the introduction of the Olympic flag and thepresentation of the Athletes’ Oath. The United States turned in the best overall teamperformance, winning 41 gold medals. A 23-year-old distance runner Paavo Nurmi of Finlandbecame the star of the games by winning 3 gold medals in the 10km and 8km cross country andcross-country team event. He also won silver in the 5km event. After a gap of 20 years Indiaagain participated with two athletes in 1920 Antwerp Olympics

1924 Paris, France

At the 1924 Paris Games the number of participating nations jumped from 29 to 44, signalingwidespread acceptance of the Olympics as a major event. Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, won fivegold medals to add to the three he had won in 1920. Women’s fencing made its debut as EllenOsiier of Denmark earned the gold medal without losing a single bout. After much debate, wintersports were added to the Olympic Games this year. The winter events were held in January andFebruary, creating a tradition that the winter events would be held a few months before thesummer events. India participated with eight members in 1924 Paris Olympics.

13 http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/olymp.htm14 http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/olymp.htm



10

The Indian Hockey team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, later going on to defeat Germany 8-1 in the final

1940 Tokyo, Japan

The 1940 Olympic Games were originally scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan. But the start of World War II in 1939 caused the Games to be cancelled. 16

1944 The 1944 Olympic Games were also not held because of World War II.

1948 London, Great Britain

The 1948 London Games were the first to be shown on home television. Though World War IIwas over, Europe was still ravaged from the war. To limit England's responsibility to feed all theathletes, it was agreed that the participants would bring their own food. Surplus food wasdonated to British hospitals. Germany and Japan, the aggressors of World War II, were notinvited to participate. Though there had been much debate as to whether or not to hold the 1948Olympic Games, the Games turned out to be very popular and a great success. There were 69nations participated with 4965 athletes in 149 events. Indian Hockey team participated in theirfourth Olympic hockey event and won the gold medal.

1952 Helsinki

The 1952 Olympic Games held at Helsinki were largely a reflection of the Cold War. The gamesbegan as Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, carried the torch into the stadium and handed it to HannesKolehmainen, who lit the cauldron. The Soviet Union entered the Olympics for the first time.Although their athletes were housed in a separate 'village', warnings that Cold War rivalrieswould lead to clashes proved unfounded. The competition of East versus West dominated theatmosphere. Particularly impressive were the Soviet women gymnasts who won the team

16 http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/olymp.htm



11

competition easily, beginning a streak that would continue for forty years until the Soviet Unionbroke up into separate republics. Indian Hockey won the fifth Olympic hockey gold medal. 17

Modern Olympic Games and India (1956-2008)

Year Place Indian’s Performance

1956 Melbourne (Australia) 1 Gold medal (in Hockey)1960 Rome (Italy) 1 Silver medal (in Hockey)1964 Tokyo (Japan) 1 Gold medal (in Hockey)1968 Mexico City (Mexico) 1 Bronze medal (in Hockey)1972 Munich (Germany) 1 Bronze medal (in Hockey)1976 Montreal (Canada) Did not win any medal1980 Moscow (Soviet Union) 1 Gold medal (in Hockey)1984 Los Angeles (USA) Did not win any medal (At 5th position in Hockey)1988 Seoul (Korea) Did not win any medal (At 6th position in Hockey)1992 Barcelona(Spain) Did not win any medal1996 Atlanta (USA) Leander Paes won ,a Bronze medal (Lawn Tennis)2000 Sydney (Australia) Karnam Malleshwari won a Bronze medal in the weightlifting (69

kg category)2004 Athens Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won a Silver medal (in

Shooting)2008 Beijing (China) Abhinav Bindra won gold medal in rifle shooting.

Other milestones of Indian Athletes in Olympic Games

In athletics, six Indians and the 4x400 women's relay team have reached the finals of their eventsin Olympics. Henry Rebello in 1948 London (Triple Jump), Milkha Singh 1960 Rome ( fourthplace in 400 metres), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa 1964 Tokyo (fifth place in 100 m hurdles),Sriram Singh 1976 Montreal ( seventh in 800m), P.T Usha in 1984 Los Angeles ( fourth in 400mhurdles) who unfortunately lost her bronze by 1/100th of a second and the 4 member squad of the 400m.women's relay P.T.Usha, M.D.Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Abraham reachedseventh place, the same year. 18

Recent developments in Olympic movement in India

Olympic Value Education Programme in India

The OVEP Programme had been officially launched in India by the IOC President, Dr. JacquesRogge during the Commonwealth Youth Games held at Pune in October, 2008 and first evernational workshop on the IOC’s Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) from 22-26

17 http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/indiaolympics.htm 18 http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/indiaolympics.htm



12

March 2010 in the capital city of Delhi Under the aegis of the International Olympic Committee(IOC), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) 19

20

This programme would be embedded as part of the activities of the Indian National Club Gameswhich will be targeting 800’000 clubs in the country. It is estimated that 20% of the populationwould be touched and exposed to OVEP during its roll-out. 21

19 http://www.olympic.ind.in/ovpe.html20 http://www.olympic.ind.in/ovpe.html21 http://www.olympic.ind.in/ovpe.html



13

Mini Olympics in India

Kila Raipur Games

The village kila Raipur is famous for Mini Olympus of Punjab in India. Every year in thisvillage, people come here to enjoy the popular village sports of Kila Raipur which often callsMini Olympics of Punjab. Every year in the month of February; kila Raipur becomes thedestination for hundreds and thousands sports enthusiasts, including foreigners. The sportsperson comes from all five continents (countries like USA, Canada, Australia, England, manyEuropean countries etc.) and participates in different events

22

In month of February all the surrounding areas of Kila Raipur fill with tourists. They come toKila Raipur to see the special breed of bullocks, camels, dogs, mules and other animalscompeting in highly professional events. Many of them have never seen bullock carts or camelsrunning for coveted cash prizes in speed races. These games have unique importance. At the endday, there is arrangement for cultural programs for entertainment.

23

22 http://connectbillions.in/pn/ludhiana/ludhiana-east/kila-raipur/files/2010/11/kila.jpg23 http://connectbillions.in/pn/ludhiana/ludhiana-east/kila-raipur/files/2010/11/bike.jpg



14

This is famous village of Ludhiana district in Punjab state of India which attract thousands of tourist from the different-2 parts of the world to Kila Raipur, who want to see Punjabi folklore,real cultural values of Punjabi and village sports with full of fun

Raj Rani, 80 fires a pistol during the rural games at Kila Raipur, in the Indian state of Punjab. (AP Photo/Aman Sharma)

On your tail

A man bites the tail of a bull to urge it to run faster during a cart race on the second day of the ruralgames called the Mini Olympics in Kila Raipur, India. (AP Photo/Aman Sharma)

Conclusion

The history of India in promotion of Olympic values throughout the country has started longtime back when it was the first Asian country to participate in 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Ithas participated continuously since 1920 in all Olympic Games. India has successfully hostedvarious international games like Asian Games, Afro Asian Games, Youth CommonwealthGames, World Military Games, South Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and many more.More than 15 times Olympic solidarity courses has organized in India by Indian OlympicAssociation in collaboration with International Olympic Committee and some other internationalorganizations. There are various NGOs working in this field for the promotion of OlympicSports and Olympic values in India. Olympic Runs and Olympic days are organized in differentparts of the country from time to time. Recently concluded Commonwealth Games in India hasgiven hope for Olympics in India and in forthcoming 5-7 years there are good chances that Indiacan officially bid for Olympic Games and bring the Olympic culture among the Indian citizens.



15

Annexure

Map of Summer Olympics locations. Countries that have hosted one Summer Olympics areshaded green, while countries that have hosted two or more are shaded blue.



16

Bibliography

Websites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia_Summit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8%2B5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Games_of_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Games_of_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia

http://indianolympic.com/

http://www.olympic.ind.in/ioa_history.html

http://www.olympic.ind.in/ovpe.html

http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/indiaolympics.htm

http://www.webindia123.com/sports/olymp/olymp.htm

Books

Srivastava, A.K, A.K., & Ranganathan, P.P, P.P. (2005).Physical Education andHealth.Delhi.B.R.International Publisher.

Bhatt, B.D. & Sharma.V.D. (1993).Teaching of Physical and Health Education.Delhi.Kanishka PublishingHouse.

Sharma.V.D. & Singh.Granth (1991).Physical and Health Education, New Delhi, Asha Prakashan Greh.

Sharma.V.D. & Sharma.V.D. (2004).Health and Physical Education, New Delhi.Saraswati House PrivateLimited.

Bhardwaj .Devender. (1982.) Antarrastiye Khel or Bharat.New Delhi. Publication Department, Ministry of Information and broadcasting, Govt.Of India.



17

neeraj kumar mehra -m.1.2

Documents