Indiaâs menâs hockey team was beaten by the Netherlands 1-2 as it lost its second match in four Pool B games in the Olympics in Rio on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Stingy spending on sports is costing India medals at the Olympics, a report by a Parliament panel shows.

The study says the Centre and states together invest just 3 paise on a person each day for sports and it is not the first career choice for most players and athletes.

India, the world's second most populous nation, has the worst Olympic record in terms of medals per head. The country has bagged just 24 medals since it first sent a contingent to the Games in 1920. Of its nine gold medals, eight were won by the hockey team between 1928 and 1980, with air-rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra the only individual to reach the top of the podium in 2008.

Against the backdrop of the meagre spending by the government on players, the sports department has urged both public and private companies to contribute towards a national sports development fund (NSDF) and also sponsor athletes.

It admitted before a parliamentary standing committee that though India has a large population, its achievement in sports is not commensurate with its size. While a country like the US has a medal for every 3 million citizens and UK has one per million, India is almost at the bottom with one medal per 204.1 million people.

SPORTS NOT THE FIRST CAREER CHOICE

"Sports is not the first choice as career for most sports persons and most of them drop out because of high risk, uncertainty and low rewards, which needs to be changed," the sports department told the panel.

The expenditure on players by these countries explains the huge gulf in performance and medals. The US spends a whopping Rs 22 a day per person, the UK spends 50 paise and Jamaica 19 paise.

The report comes on the heels of a swirling row over writer Shobhaa De's tweet that trashed Indian athletes saying their goal in Rio was to click selfies and return empty-handed. After receiving widespread criticism, she said, "Official apathy was main reason why we fare so poorly during every Olympics, not just Rio. Difficult for athletes to 'compete' with this hurdle."

Analysts say most Indians lack the economic safety net that makes it easier for would-be Olympians from affluent countries to take a chance on athletics, while parents here generally want their children to take up more "stable" professions.

INDIA LACKS IN SKILL, TECHNOLOGY, EQUIPMENT.....

The sports department also said India is lagging behind other countries in terms of skill, technology, stateof-the-art equipment, sports medicine, support, etc. The committee has recommended that public sector units including banks should come forward to help.

It also observed that many PSUs were not aware of the NSDF, and because of this contribution has stopped. The Sports Authority of India has been advised to make these PSUs aware of the fund so that more money can be collected. The report reveals the dismal condition of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, considered one of the country's top sports facilities. The football ground has not received care for the past year and a half due to lack of funds.

"Since no maintenance was carried out for so long, it was dusty and full of potholes and looked like drought-affected agricultural field," read the findings. "Dismayed to find the worn-out condition of track and field facilities. The upkeep seemed to be disastrous?.the track caved in at several places and was dangerous for anybody going for athletics practice. There were several potholes which were several feet deep and were death traps for athletes."

The panel observed that the prevailing conditions have led to a worrying situation for players. It also asked the sports ministry to conduct a high-level inquiry and fix responsibility for this condition of the stadium.

Also read:

Didn't misbehave with anyone, Vijay Goel tells India Today after Rio controversy

Archers Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi crash out of Rio Olympics

