“Soft power”, as American political scientist Joseph Nye Jr. said in the late 1980s, is a “power of attraction through culture, political ideas, and policies rather than coercion” that military hard power exhibits. This is now being reflected in increased interest, especially by smaller nations in the world, in investing more and doing well in elite sports as it is thought that success in international sporting events boosts a nation’s chances of attaining soft power.
So, it can be said that the golden period of Indian sports may have begun — the Tokyo Olympics and then the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) are examples of a good performance. Neeraj Chopra who won an Olympic gold medal in men’s javelin throw is now a household name. At the CWG 2022, Indian athletes won 61 medals, including 22 golds. These medals not only provide pride to every Indian citizen but also demonstrate the country’s soft power on the global stage and encourage working towards the status of a great “geopolitical actor”.
