Yashraj Sharma

India only spends Rs 24 per person on sports annually. China spends 8x more, Australia 30x more, and US perhaps even more.

It’s not just about money. Our athletes are treated very poorly by our own system. Facilities are inadequate, living conditions in camps are abysmal, governance is pathetic, and corruption is rampant.

The 117 athletes representing India at the Olympics haven’t just outcompeted other athletes to reach where they are, they have also fought and overcome our own system.

When the event is over, we’ll again complain about how few medals we get despite our population. We should rather be thankful to our athletes who win them despite our system.

Jay Shah is the new ICC Chairman. But he had humble beginnings. In 2009, as a 21-year-old with no background in cricket, he made it to the executive board of Ahmedabad’s official cricket body.

From there, he worked his way up to Gujarat, BCCI, and Asian Cricket Council - all at tender ages. And now, he’s the global cricket boss.

Just like our para-athletes, Jay Shah has shown that if the differently abled get the right platform and support, they can conquer the world.