What ails Indian sport events? Shoddy standards, lack of humility, disinterest

HOw to say this nicely, without hurting sentiments? How to disregard AQI, pooping pigeons, simian spectators, vagabondage dogs, volunteer(a) vendors etc etc? The unsubdivided the true is, in the Event-Hosting Olympics, India keeps failing to even make the heats.The latest story comes from the India Open badminton in Delhi. What is as severely hazardous as the Delhi air is the Badminton Association of India’s (BAI) response to complaints. Like BAI secretary-general Sanjay Mishra’s to Mia Blichfeldt’s comment on the unhealthy conditions. Mishra clarified that Blitchfeldt’s comments were, “made in a broader context around general playing conditions and personal health sensitivities.” And that “as an athlete who is more sensitive to dust and environmental factors” she was only sharing, “personal perspective on how conditions can sometimes impact her health.” Forgotten were the pigeons relieving themselves on centre court or the monkey turning up to watch or, players warming up, “in two layers of pants and winter jackets and gloves and hats”, in Blitchfeldt’s words.Before we get into discussing what is on the good side of “unhealthy”, here’s a quick round up of how India has been doing in the Event Organisation Olympics. The national boxing championship, first scheduled for December 31, 2025 was pushed within a few hours by four days. The Boxing Federation of India said this was on account of government-mandated pollution control measures. On opening day, the rings needed for the boxers to box in and the lighting equipment around them were not installed in time, delaying the scheduled start by over four hours.The reason? Reports quoted various officials. One said: “Some of the stuff needed to set up the rings were supposed to arrive last night but the university gates were closed and the trucks were not allowed in.” A second added: “There was an issue with the equipment reaching the venue. It should have come yesterday.” No locked gates in this version. “There are three rings and no matter how much manpower you put in, there are lots of nuts and bolts that need to be tightened. It takes 5-6 hours to set a ring and since it’s a big championship, it was tough to start by 2pm.” The president of Assam boxing told Indian Express, “One of the steel wires in the ring snapped and the technician wasn’t available for a short while.” There was also a version where vendors had not been paid.Let’s return to the biggest event held in Indian sport, bigger than the 1982 Asian Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games. The World Para Athletics Championships last year featured 2,000 athletes from 104 nations. There were five incidents of stray dogs biting people at the event, including two coaches being bitten in one day. ESPN India reported that while VIP sections and athlete-areas had arrangements for the differently abled, the rest of the stadium was left as is — minus wheelchair ramps, with no railings on the entry and exit staircases either.We are not yet discussing the June tragedy at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India’s worst sports-related disaster this century, which killed 11 fans. But how about the India vs South Africa T20I cancelled due to excessive fog and poor visibility in Lucknow? Or the shambolic Messi GOAT Tour? Or how at the Asian Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad, an Indian swimmer in the stands was shocked to see her name on the line up of 200m final marked as DNS (did not start). She had not been informed that, as reserve, she had qualified to compete after a Thai swimmer withdrew from the final. The Swimming Federation of India made no statement about this Indian absence. Then when the Indian water polo team competed wearing swimming trunks with the national flag on it – all international teams do this with their respective flags – they were roasted for violating the Flag Code.What’s common here? The zero attention to detail from the people at the top, which is mandatory in running a world-class international or top-notch national event. The let-it-be mentality spreads deep and wide. Add to that the misguided belief that world-class is a malleable standard; like Mishra’s gaslighting about Blichfeldt’s statements. Then there is the staggering lack of humility at the top of Indian sports officialdom. Or awareness that they are in sport to serve, not rule. It is why shortcomings, if highlighted, are treated as sly prejudice. And professional advice or involvement is seen as outsiders wanting to make money. Perhaps we are to blame. After all, Indian sporting spectators — led by cricket’s faithful — are so used to accepting rubbish, that rubbish becomes standard, as long as the TV pictures look good.Last September, I attended the knock-out rounds of the men’s Volleyball World Championships in Manila, Philippines. The local organising committee for the two-week event held in two indoor, air-conditioned venues was 499-strong, with close to 2,000 volunteers. Of the two venues, the Smart Araneta Coliseum is an indoor multi-sports arena and the MOA Arena (where I watched the knockouts) is a multi-purpose indoor venue, both with a capacity to seat 15,000. The MOA Arena was half-filled for the round of 16 matches, with the crowd growing from the quarter-finals on. Across my 10 days there, crowd or no crowd, the venue was spotless. Spectators came through turnstiles, the toilets were clean, there was reasonably priced food and drinks, including beer sold in paper cups. No pigeons, no poop, no monkeys, no litter, no freezing warm-up areas. The controversy around the event was not about athlete comfort or venue hygiene, but exorbitant ticket prices and lack of crowds. Journalists who reported this, first had their accreditations withdrawn and then reinstated. Sports officialdom’s God complex is a global phenomenon.In 2025, the Metropolitan Manila National Capital Region – population 14 million - also hosted the FIFA’s Women’s Futsal World Cup and the junior World Artistic Gymnastics. Plus, the Asian women’s club volleyball Champions League and the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy. When I asked reporters about Manila bidding for an Olympics, they laughed. Their economy could not support it. The Philippines won its first Olympic gold in Tokyo (Hidilyn Diaz, women’s weightlifting) and followed it up by two gymnastic golds in Paris (Carlos Yulo). But what is undeniable, however, is that in the Event Organisation Olympics, Philippines will school India.