Every medal tells a human story of grit and glory. But each medal, when located in a specific place and time, also reveals the way sports has evolved in a society.
A close look at the state-wise distribution of India’s 69 medals at the just concluded Jakarta-Palembang
Asian Games reveals two heartening aspects to the record haul: One, more states are producing medal winners than ever before.
Two, new sporting superpowers have emerged among the states.
India’s 69 medals in 2018 were claimed by 184 medalists. That’s because victory in a team sport like hockey adds only one medal to the tally but the number of players who receive the medals is higher.
Similarly, in 1982, India got 13 gold, 19 silver and 25 bronze, totaling 57, but the actual number of medalists was 130.
Read this story in Malayalam