'Padhoge-likhoge' mindset needs to be changed, India must plan for increasing medal tally: Sohail Khan on 2036 Olympic Vision

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Following his historic exploits at the 2025 Kudo World Cup, silver medallist Sohail Khan hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government for bidding to host the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad but also pointed out the areas which need to be focused on if India were to take on the massive responsibility.

Recently, a high-level Indian delegation, including the Minister of Sports of the State of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghavi, and IOA President P.T. Usha, made a productive visit to the Olympic Capital in Lausanne. This crucial exchange with the IOC and its Future Host Summer Commission for the 2036 Summer Olympics aims to explore the opportunity and feasibility of India hosting a future edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sohail believes the first thing that needs to change is the academically driven curriculum, which is still heavily present across schools in the country.

"A huge credit goes to Narendra Modi ji and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India for aiming to bring the Olympics to the country. We need to improve a lot of things. I come from a town where phrases like

"'Padhoge Likhoge banoge nawab' is still used. If we change the thinking across the grassroots levels of the country, be it any sport, we will grow to another level,” Sohail told IANS.

He also added that if India were to host the Olympics, a roadmap must be in place to ensure the country is ready to increase its medal tally.

"Before the 2036 Olympics, we need to figure out a game plan on how to increase the medal tally. Hosting a prestigious tournament like the Olympics will be a matter of pride, but we need to see how we are preparing for that, and we must begin working on increasing the medal tally right away,” he said.

Sohail began his Kudo World Cup campaign in the Round of 16 against Pakistan’s Abdulla, but advanced via walkover after the opponent failed to meet the weight requirement. In the quarterfinal, Sohail battled hard to secure a narrow 1-0 win over Bulgaria’s Rusev Radoslav.

The 25-year-old also spoke about the added pressure of being drawn to face Pakistan, given the recent tensions between the two countries, and also spoke of the challenge he faced in getting a walkover in his first bout.

"There was a lot of nervousness heading into the tournament, and the fact that the first fight was against Pakistan added pressure on me. We were happy that we progressed into the quarter-finals, but there was also that added pressure. It gives the opponent a slight edge, as he has won a bout before our fight. My quarterfinal bout was against a Bulgarian; he had the home advantage with him, so you can see that it was a high-pressure situation," he added.

In the semifinal, Sohail delivered one of his most dominant performances of the tournament, defeating Andzej Voinius of Lithuania by a commanding 4-0 margin. With this win, he secured his spot in the final and guaranteed India at least a silver medal, a first for the country in this category.

In the gold medal bout, Sohail faced a tough challenge against France’s Quentin Miramont. The contest was intense and evenly matched, with neither fighter managing to score a definitive point in the standard two rounds. As a result, the referee decided to extend the bout to a rare third round, the first time in the entire World Cup that any fight had gone that far.

Despite Sohail’s spirited and resilient performance, he eventually fell short by just two points, settling for silver in a historic finale.

In the end, Sohail will take the experience with a pinch of salt and will use it to his advantage heading into future tournaments.

"It is very important to know how to deal with pressure situations. It is the first time I have seen any World Cup fight extend to three rounds; it is a moment of pride for me, too, that I can extend to the third round. I saw the footage afterwards and noted a few areas where I was lacking, the most being how to deal with pressure situations, which I believe can only come with experience,” he concluded.

--IANS

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