Olympics Paris 2024: Learn About Indian Olympic Athletes

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are almost here! In celebration of India’s history in the Olympics, and to get familiar with India’s historical presence in the Games, it’s a good idea to learn about India’s past Olympic athletes and their achievements.

India has had a formidable presence in a handful of Olympic categories since debuting in 1900. Several athletes have sent shockwaves globally with their athleticism and achievements. All of them have inspired Indians in one way or another. From the early athletes to the new generation, there is a lot to know about India’s history in the Olympics as well as the outlook for this year.

Find out more about these amazing athletic heroes and their contributions to India’s Olympic endeavours!

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India’s History in the Olympics

2024 Paris Olympics

July 26, 2024 7:30 pm

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The very first Olympic Games as we know them today was held in 1896 and was called Games of the I Olympiad (but is modernly called the Athens 1896 Olympics). It was the first international Olympic event in modern history. The last time an Olympic event like this had been held was in Ancient Greece, in 393.

A few influential and wealthy people in Europe were able to come together to coordinate the Games, which were extremely successful by all standards. There were about 14 nations and 241 athletes who participated, and the stadium overflowed with spectators; the most ever in history. Clearly, this was an event that deserved to be expanded and repeated, since it brought so much camaraderie, unity, and joy to both the athletes and the audience!

India’s First Appearance in the Olympics

In 1900, the Olympics were held in Paris at the same time as the World Fair/Universal Exposition. At this time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) didn’t have much control over many aspects of the games since they were such a new organization and the Olympics were such a new idea. As a result, the 1900 Olympics were not referred to as such at the time. Instead, they were called "Concours internationaux d'exercices physiques et de sport" (transl. "International physical exercises and sports competition") in the official report made by the French. News outlets around the world opted for shorter names, like "International Championships", "International Games", "Paris Championships", "World Championships" and "Grand Prix of the Paris Exposition” for brevity.

According to the IOC, there were 997 athletes in this Olympic Expo representing 26 nations, and women were even allowed to compete for the first time. France contributed the most athletes: 720 of them, or 72%. Many of the other nations only sent a handful of athletes at most (international travel was a lot more difficult back then!).

India sent exactly one person: Norman Pritchard.

He entered 5 different Athletic events: the 110-metre hurdles, the 200-metre hurdles, the 60-metre sprint, the 100-metre sprint, and the 200-metre sprint. He went on to win silver in two of the events (the 200-metre hurdles and the 200-metre sprint).

India’s First Olympics Medals

Norman Pritchard was an Indian-born British from Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India, which led some Britishers to argue that his two silver medals from the 1900 Olympics should go to Britain. At the time, neither Britain nor India had an official National Olympics Committee (NOC) registered with the IOC, so athletes from both nations had to enter as “representing themselves,” although it was common knowledge they were affiliated with their homeland. This “homeland” idea is what gave late International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) member Ian Buchanan the grounds to question where Pritchard’s medals should go.

However, Pritchard had an Indian passport and birth certificate and intended to represent India with his participation, so ultimately, the IOC determined that indeed the silver medals do belong to India.

India’s First Gold Medalists

It wasn’t until 1928 that India brought home a gold medal. The India Men's National Field Hockey Team were the only winners for India that year. They had a sweeping victory, not allowing a single goal against them from the group stage to the finals.

The team’s success was also notable because it was the first time India had ever entered the hockey category, so it was the first time the team ever appeared at the Olympics. Plus, the team was a mixture of British-Indians and Indians, making them the first Indian-heritage players to win a medal.

The team went on to win five more consecutive gold medals, and then two more later on, for a total of eight golds. They have also won quite a few silver and bronze medals since their literal Golden Years. They were the first to win gold for India both pre- and post-independence.

India’s First Post-Independence Individual Medalist

In the 1952 Helsinki Games, wrestler K. D. Jadhav won bronze in the men’s bantamweight category, becoming the first individual medalist for India since Norman Pritchard. He was also the first individual to earn a medal since Independence in 1947.

Jadhav’s win was so monumental that he was greeted with a sea of adoring fans and supporters when he stepped off the train at the Karad Railway Station, and according to legend, he was even carried 10kms by the crowd as a symbol of respect and jubilance.

Resurgence of Medalists

After the decline of the Men’s Field Hockey Team, there was a 3-year gap where India didn’t win any medals (1984, 1988, and 1992). In the 1996 Atlanta games, this losing streak was broken by Mumbai-native Leander Paes in the Men’s singles tennis event, who took home the bronze.

Since then, India has come away with at least one medal each year.

In the 2000 Sydney Games, Karnam Malleswari became the first woman to win a medal for India. She took home the bronze in Women's 69 kg weightlifting, lifting a confirmed total of 240.0 kgs in 5 attempts (3 “snatch” and 2 “clean and jerk” (one “clean and jerk” attempt was disqualified)).

In the 2004 Athens games, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first post-independence individual to win silver. He secured the second-place medal in men’s double trap shooting.

The 2008 Beijing and 2012 London games were great successes for India.

Three medals were secured in 2008: 1 gold, by Abhinav Bindra in Men’s 10 m air rifle shooting; and 2 bronze, by Sushil Kumar in Men’s freestyle 66 kg wrestling and Vijender Singh in Men’s middleweight 75 kg boxing.

In 2012, 6 medals were secured: 2 silver, by Vijay Kumar in Men’s 25 m rapid fire pistol shooting and Sushil Kumar in Men’s freestyle 66 kg wrestling; and 4 bronze, by Gagan Narang in Men’s 10 m air rifle shooting, Saina Nehwal in Women’s singles badminton, Mary Kom in Women’s flyweight boxing, and Yogeshwar Dutt in Men’s freestyle 60 kg wrestling.

The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games were less bountiful in terms of medals, but India sent more athletes than ever before (117; 63 men and 54 women, in 15 categories). The only two medals secured that year were by women: 1 silver from P. V. Sindhu in Women’s singles badminton and 1 bronze from Sakshi Malik in Women's freestyle 58 kg wrestling.

The most recent games, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (which were held in 2021), saw India’s most prolific year. 122 athletes (68 men and 54 women) participated in the Games and won 7 medals overall.

The first Indian individual gold medalist appeared in the form of Neeraj Chopra, who competed in the Men’s javelin throw.

Two silver medals were won by Saikhom Mirabai Chanu in Women's 49 kg weightlifting and Ravi Kumar Dahiya in Men's freestyle 57 kg wrestling.

Four bronze medals were won by:

• P. V. Sindhu in Women’s singles badminton
• Lovlina Borgohain in Women’s welterweight boxing
• India men's national field hockey team (In their first win since 1972)
• Bajrang Punia in Men's freestyle 65 kg wrestling

The Future of India at the Olympics

What will the Paris 2024 Olympics look like for India? Athletes can be qualified and registered to compete until 7 July, just 19 days before the games begin on 26 July. As of writing this article (30 April 2024) there are only 51 Indian athletes who are currently qualified to participate in the Olympics. These athletes may or may not be chosen by the Indian NOC, so be sure to check in again before the Olympics begin to see which athletes qualify and which are confirmed to go on to Paris!

If India follows its own trend in recent years, there will be over 100 athletes participating and several medals will be won. There are a large handful of Indian athletes to watch closely this year, namely

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All Olympic Athletes Who Won Medals in Indian History

Interested to see all Indian Olympic medal-winners since 1900? Here, you can find a timeline of winners for India!

All Competing Athletes in the 2024 Games

As previously mentioned, there will likely be many more athletes announced for India before the start of the Olympics this summer. Right now, we only know of 51 athletes.

Where to Watch the Olympics in India

Getting excited? You can view the Paris Olympics via live stream or on TV in India from a few trusted sources:

• Olympics TV
• Olympics YouTube
• JioCinema
• The Viacom18 channel

Start gearing up now for what is sure to be an exciting Olympic year for India as well as all the other nations participating in the Games!