India and Paris Olympics 2024

The Olympics games is held every leap year, only exception being year 2000 which wasn't a leap year and year 2021 when it was held after a year due to Covid Pandemic. In the leap year of 2024 the Olympics has already gotten underway in Paris, France, its opening ceremony starting tomorrow. This summer Olympics is World's biggest sporting events where athletes will compete on land and water to win medals and laurels for their respective countries. 

In this context, India is likely to improve its medal tally from last time. India has been steadily improving its tally since it won a bronze medal in Tennis in 1996 after a long gap of 16 medal less years. Even its arch rival Pakistan managed to win a medal in 1992 Barcelona Olympics where India came blank. 

It is not a coincidence that India's failure to win a single medal between 1964 and 1992 coincided with its poor Hindu rate of economic growth. India did win a Gold in Hockey in 1980 Moscow Olympics when the 4 top most hockey nations of the time, i.e, Pakistan, Australia, Netherlands and West Germany (Germany reunification was yet to happen) boycotted the games. 

However since 1991 when India opened up its economy under a Congress government, India's performance in Olympics started getting better resulting in medals. It won a bronze medal in 1996, followed by another in 2000 in Sydney. Then it won a Silver medal in 2004, the first Silver medal in a game other than hockey. Then in 2008, India's Abhinav Bindra won a Gold in Shooting, again the first of its kind in a game other than Hockey. India has never looked back ever since and has won multiple medals in each Olympics that followed, in events of Wrestling, Boxing, Wright lifting, Hockey and Javelin. With a rising economy, India is ready to bid for 2036 Olympics. 

Though more is expected from a nation of 1.42 billion people, its still a work in progress and more medal is expected to come in this year's edition of Olympics in Paris. India has been doing much better in Archery these days in which it is expected to win at least one medal. Also it is expected to win a few more in other sports as well. Good luck Olympics team India.