Sports are an essential part of a healthy daily routine. Sports not only exercise the muscles of the body, but also provide freshness and stay active. India has a great sports history as there are many sports like Kabaddi, Wrestling, Swimming, etc. which are important elements of Indian culture. Basically, sports are of two types: indoor and outdoor. Indoor sports include games like billiards, chess, etc., whether outdoor games have cricket, soccer, and wrestling, etc. In ancient times, the people of India had many interesting sports to entertain and cool off, especially outdoor sports. In fact, some sports have their origin in the roots of Indian culture like Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and boat racing, etc.
In today’s Indian sporting scene, cricket is the most prominent sport in which India has an excellent track record. Soccer is another popular game in some parts of India, but cricket is more popular with Indians. There are some world class sporting events in India, but most of them are dedicated to cricket. There are also events for other games like Hockey Premier League. India has hosted many international sporting events such as the Hockey World Cup, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in the past.
Apart from cricket, the Indians have delivered excellent shots in international sports. The Indians have won many medals in the Asian and Commonwealth games. In fact, Indians are the world champions in games like Chess, Billiards, etc. They were also world hockey champions many times in the past. In tennis and transportation there are some brilliant talents in India. Delhi is currently hosting its first Commonwealth games in 2010. The Indian Premier League is a well-known sporting event in India, which is among the most successful national events internationally.
Many sports authorities are working for the welfare of sports in India. Sports bodies are assisted by the Indian government to develop infrastructure and nurture growing talent. India has some world-class stadiums like Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Major Dhyanchand Stadiums, etc. that have standard facilities for world athletes. These bodies are supposed to organize the basic requirements for the sports in question. Some legendary sportsmen from India had a great impact on the world stage. Major Dyanchand of hockey, Sachin Tendulkar of cricket, Pulela Gopichand of shuttle, Abhinav Bindra of shooting, Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani of Billiards, V Anand of chess are among some of the athletes who left a great impact in the international sports arena.
As India has some world class athletes and sportsmen, they are very few compared to other countries and the population of India. Sports authorities must focus on developing new talents from the roots. More sporting events should be organized to promote sports at low levels. Athletes have to move to the big cities in search of better facilities, since in the towns there is a lack of basic requirements. Still, the Indians have to prove their capabilities at the Olympics, the biggest sporting event on the international stage. Indians have won very few personal medals at the Olympics. Lack of basic requirements, fundamental facilities and promotional sporting events at the root level are the main reasons behind the failure of Indian athletes in big events like the Olympics.