The much-adored quadrennial event, the Winter Olympics is currently underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Winter Olympics has traditionally been a visual treat for fans around the World. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games which commenced on 9th February and are scheduled to continue until 25th February features 102 events in 15 sports. A total of 2920 athlete from 92 national Olympic Committee are competing in the event. The constant media frenzy surrounding the games means the tournament and its participants are never away from the spotlight.

India was one of the nation’s battling it out in South Korea for a podium finish. Characterized by small size of contingent the Indian team has found newsmakers hard to come by historically at the games. Six-time Olympian Shiva Keshavan bid adieu to Olympic sport after finishing 34 in his final Luge appearance in PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The only other member of Indian contingent Jagdish Singh who made it to the tournament after enduring some anxious moments when his employer, the Indian Army and Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI) delayed his departure on the frivolous issue of nomination of the coach. He finished 9.16.4 minutes slower than gold medalist Dario Cologna of Switzerland and grabbed the 103rd position out of 119 participants.

2018 edition of Winter Olympics ended in a dismal show not just in terms of results but also with the alarming lack of participation. While India may have seen successes in Summer Olympics, Winter sporting event still seems like a distant dream. Let’s have a quick look at India’s performance over the past few Winter Olympics.

2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

India fielded three athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia after initially entering the tournament as Independent Olympic participants under the Olympic Flag. It so happened because the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) had been put under suspension after it emerged there had been instances of government’s intervention with the day to day activity of IOA. However, in a last-ditch effort by IOA, the IOC reinstated India's National Olympic Committee (NOC) allowing the two athletes to compete under the Indian flag rather than going to Sochi 2014 as independent athletes. Luger Shiva Keshavan delivered his worst performance in the Winter Games and was placed 37th out of 39 participants. In Alpine Skiing, Himanshu Thakur finished the competition in the last place while the results of Cross-Country Skiing were not to different either with Nadeem Iqbal coming in at 85th position.

2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada

The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games had a total of three Indian participating in it with two skiers, Jamyang Namgial and Tashi Lundup and veteran luger Shiva Keshavan. The skiers, both graduates of High Altitude Warfare School had the backing of the Indian Army. While Jamyang Namgial secured the 81st rank in Alpine Skiing, Tashi Lundup finished at the 83rd position in Cross- Country Skiing. The Indian government released fund to the tune of USD 20,000 to help Shiva Keshavan. This aid came after his bronze medal win at the Asian Championship which made people take note of him. Siva also received 4,50,000 rupees from five Indian lawyers to purchase a new luge just before the games. It was the first time there was some sort of financial support for Winter Olympians in India.

2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy

The Turin Winter Olympics of 2006 saw the size of the Indian contingent grow from one lone Olympian in 2002 games to four participants in Italy. Skiers Neha Ahuja, Hira Lal, and Bahadur Gupta joined luger Shiva Keshavan in Italy for the mega event. This has been the biggest Indian contingent at the winter games and speaks volume about India’s dismal state when it comes to Winter Olympics. Luger Shiva Keshavan improved his rank by 8 places compared to the previous Olympics by securing a 25th rank and aggregate timing of 3.31.937 seconds. In Cross-Country Skiing, Bahadur Gupta did not advance to the quarters and was knocked out in qualifiers. In Women’s Alpine Skiing, Neha Ahuja participated in both Salom and Giant Salom category securing 51 and 42 ranks respectively. While Hira Lal’s results was not enough for a podium finish, it was his determination to represent the country at the highest level deserves a big salute.

2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States

The Salt Lake City played host to the 2002 Winter Olympics which was conducted just five months after that ghastly attacks on World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. India’s sole entry in the competition was Siva Keshavan in the Men’s Luge event. The country’s flag bearer arrival in the host city was quite astonishing and makes us wonder about the state of winter Olympians in India. Siva arrived late in Montreal and missed his bus for the Salt Lake City. He somehow managed his way to the US border and with the help of a policeman made it to the city after failing to cough up USD 10 for border fee. Siva secured an overall rank of 33 with an aggregate timing of 3:04:983 seconds after the four rounds.

When we look back at the performances of the Indian Olympians over the past few editions, we just cannot help but fathom the fact that Indian athletes more or less make the number at the games. With Shiva Keshavan now a part of history, it is going to be an even bigger struggle to increase our number at the Olympics. The government has to wake up from the slumber and give winter sports in India its due credit. Be it the financial backing or the moral support needed at such events, it has to be the responsibility of the IOA to back up its athletes. The media has more often than highlighted the plight of Olympians but ultimately, it’s the authority that has to take note of the same.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2018 05:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).