IT WOULD BE WRONG TO COMPARE ASIAN GAMES WITH CWG

Do you know that in the Commonwealth Games there are some sports whose level is very high while there are some sports whose level is less than the state championships held in India. But many state governments keep everyone in the same scale. The Haryana government gives Rs 7.50 lakh to the sportsperson of the state participating in these games, and a prize money of Rs 1.5 crore to the winner, Rs 75 lakh to the silver medalist and Rs 50 lakh to the bronze medalist.

In table tennis India till date has got only two bronze medals in Asian Games, while in Commonwealth Games India has got six gold, four silver and ten bronze medals. Similarly, in weightlifting, India has not been able to win a single gold in Asian Games, while in CWG India has got 43 gold. In wrestling, India has a dominated in CWG, Indian wrestlers won 11 gold in Asian Games. This is largely because the level of competition in some events has increased significantly at the Asian level with former Soviet countries becoming part of the Asian Games in the 90s. At the same time, in the Commonwealth Games, India faces tough competition from Australia, England, Canada and to a lesser extent Nigeria, New Zealand and South Africa. In badminton, India may have become a superpower by winning the Thomas Cup, but it is also a fact that till date India has not won a single gold in Asian Games badminton, whereas India has won seven gold in CWG.

The standard of boxing and athletics is really high in CWG. In boxing we have got far less medals in CWG, in athletics we have got very less gold medals in CWG whereas athletics has been a major contributor to India’s success in Asian Games. The level of athletics in the CWG can be gauged from the fact that after Udansikh Milkha Singh’s gold in 1958, India had to wait 52 years for the next gold, which was won by Krishna Poonia.

In hockey too, India gets a big challenge from Australia. The rest of England and New Zealand are also at a decent level, while in the Asian Games, India gets tough competition from South Korea, Japan and Pakistan, while Pakistan has also lagged behind in this area in the last years. Similarly, in archery, India never became a force in the Asian Games in the presence of South Korea, but in the CWG, India managed to win a total of eight medals including three gold.

It is clear that in some sports the standard of Asian Games and in others the Commonwealth Games is very high. It would be wrong to weight both in the same scale.