As the 17th Asian Games progress India’s performance at Incheon in South Korea will be under scanner. And expectations would be will India surpass its performance at 2012 London Olympics and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The Chinese juggernaut that reaped a record 199 gold medals in the previous games at home in Guangzhou is once again set to roll and crunch all opposition in many events, though their overall medal tally may not match the haul of 416 medals four years ago. The host South Korea which finished second last time with 76 gold, 65 silver and 91 bronze medals ahead of arch rival Japan, is once again to set to retain their spot in the 36 discipline event. A top podium finish by Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinnappa in double event of squash at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games less than two months ago has infused new hope for India’s medal prospect in the Asian Games as they brace for a fresh challenge at Incheon. Saurav Ghosal the world No 16 is the top seeded male squash player in this edition of the tournament. What is to be seen is will Abhinav Bindra repeat his Olympics success in South Korea. Bindra shot in fame after he won 10 m air rifle gold medal at Beijing Olympics. Historically, India has a major hand in developing Asian Games. It was on the eve of Indian Independence at the 1947 Delhi Asian Relations Conference the idea of Asian Games was born with 21 countries attending and endorsing the similar sentiments expressed by Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu. G. D Sondhi, a Cambridge educated college principal from Lahore, conceived the idea of Asian Games Federation. With such a long history and recent success in London and Glasgow, now the stage is ripe for India to declare it a sporting power. Success at Asian Games surely will bring in culture which will respect sporting events and sports persons as national heroes.
