Sunil Chhetri on India in Olympics: ‘I do not care if folks kill me for this’ – Watch | Paris Olympics 2024 Information

Sunil Chhetri, considered one of India’s iconic footballers, retired from the game earlier this yr abandoning a legacy that noticed him stand subsequent to legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the checklist of gamers with most worldwide objectives.
Showing on a podcast that was printed final month earlier than the Paris Olympics began, Chhetri was requested a query on the dearth of medals received by India within the Olympic Video games, the place the nation has solely two particular person gold medallists in addition to the hockey crew’s ‘golden’ run betwen 1928 and 1980.
Chhetri stated the rationale for a rustic of 1.5 billion not successful sufficient medals is due to failure to identify and nurture expertise.
“We do not win medals (on the Olympics) regardless of a inhabitants of 1.5 billion isn’t factually right as a result of we’re not capable of establish and nurture the expertise of 1.5 billion folks. China, US, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada — those who do nicely within the Olympics — are miles higher than us,” stated Chhetri on the podcast, and the video clip went viral on social media.
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India have to date received two bronze medals on the ongoing Paris Video games, which have come from the taking pictures contingent led by Manu Bhaker, who received a person bronze in ladies’s 10m air pistol occasion and a crew bronze within the blended crew air pistol occasion alongside Sarabjot Singh.
“When folks say, ‘expertise ki kami nahi hai hamari nation mei’ (there isn’t a dearth of expertise in our nation), it’s one hundred pc proper. A five-year-old child in Andaman, who was good in soccer or javelin throw or cricket, he did not even know. Threw it a couple of times after which disappeared, working in a name centre,” Chhetri added.
“In figuring out the expertise and nurturing the expertise on the proper time and with the suitable process, we’re means behind. And I do not care if folks wish to kill me for this; that is the fact.”
Together with the 2 bronze medals received to date on the Paris Olympics, India have clinched a complete of 37 medals within the historical past of Summer season Olympics, which incorporates 10 gold, 9 silver and 18 bronze.