Corporates are using the Olympic winners as a source for their advertisement

Khevna.P.Shah, INN/Bangalore

@Shahkhevna1, @Infodeaofficial

August 8, marked the end of the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020  with India winning a total of 7 medals, one gold, two silver, and four bronze. It is a proud moment for India to win a gold medal after the 2012 Olympic Games.

Courtesy of Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold medal win in Tokyo Olympics 2020, India ended its run in the event with its best-ever medal tally. Neeraj, who was the final Indian Olympian in action, signed off from the event with golden glory.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia was the second Olympian who won the medal glory on the final day as he won the bronze medal. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu (silver), Wrestler Ravi Dahiya (silver), shuttler PV Sindhu, Indian men’s hockey team, and boxer Lovlina Borgohain were other Olympians who brought home the medal glory.

Making our country proud with their dedication, hard work, and skills, the government rewarded the Olympic winners with a certain amount of cash prizes, and also BCCI dedicated to rewarding them.  The apex board will award Rs 1 crore to Neeraj and Rs 50 lakh each to Mirabai Chanu and Ravi Dahiya. Sindhu, Lovlina, and Bajrang Punia will be getting a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh each. The men’s hockey team will be awarded Rs 1.25 crore.

It is to be noted that the BCCI also played its part in the Indian contingent’s success in Tokyo Olympics by contributing a sum of Rs 10 crore for the training and preparations of athletes.

But other than the cash rewards from the government, certain multinational corporations are rewarding the Tokyo Olympic winners with benefits other than cash.

Domino’s India offered lifetime free pizza to Mirabai Chanu, who backed silver in weightlifting, and Ritiesh Agarwal, the man behind the OYO rooms start-up tweeted congratulating Neeraj Chopra on his iconic gold medal win and a free pass into OYO room across the globe. Indigo Airlines declared to provide lifetime free tickets to air travel for all the Tokyo Olympic winners.

But the real concern lies in whether these benefits are necessary or it is just a mere tactic of advertising their company’s brand to earn profits. Companies like Domino’s and OYO rooms require a constant advertising strategy to increase their profits and attract an unbreakable streak of consumers.

When it comes to sports, sadly we see only the tip of the iceberg. The struggles each athlete goes through are unutterable. The funds provided to the sports sector are insufficient for the athlete’s training and as the matter of fact, the equipment they require for training and also the coaches aren’t available. The mental trauma each athlete goes through cannot be covered with a huge sum of cash.

The government is proudly willing to award the Olympic winners with a certain amount of cash, but if the government had invested the required fund in the sports sector then there are chances that there would be many athletes representing Indian in the Olympics, not only representing but also would be winning medals for our country. The companies which are offering benefits for the winners could contribute to the sports sector in funding which could be helpful for the athletes as well.

Indian market is very tricky. The companies use the talent of the athletes for advertisement purposes and the government refrains to contribute to the sports sector. The raw talent can only take these athletes so far, since support and encouragement—whether financial, emotional, or physical— are essential aspects that any athlete requires, and without them, his cause can be hopeless.

P.T. Usha, arguably the greatest track and field star the country has produced, was heartbroken and reduced to tears due to governmental negligence. 2012 Olympic bronze-medalist hopeful Mary Kom was also a victim, as she was shocked by the substandard food during the National Boxing Championships. For a country that boasts itself as a future world superpower and carries the fourth-most billionaires, these acts are inexcusable and boggle the mind.

The country needs to understand that an escape through sports can be a solution for the impoverished and raise their standard of living. It’s all good to celebrate the accomplishments of an Olympic medalist, but make sure to carry the momentum forward. India should not coyly acknowledge it as a way of saying, “Hey this guy made it despite us, not because of us.”