The Long Silence Before the Stride
For twenty long years after Norman Pritchard’s appearance in the Paris 1900 Olympics, the Olympic arena echoed without India. It was not indifference that kept the subcontinent away from the world stage; it was the absence of structure. Talent was never lacking. Across dusty maidans, malla - yuddha arenas, gymkhanas, and village tracks, bodies were forged in sun and soil. What India lacked was an institutional heartbeat, a National Olympic Committee, a system of selection, patronage, and representation.
The Games of 1904, 1908, and 1912 passed with India as a silent spectator. The First World War further disrupted global sport, and as empires trembled and borders bled, the idea of an Indian Olympic team seemed ever more distant. Yet beneath this apparent silence, something was gathering, a slow but steady awakening of national sporting consciousness.
A World Healing and an Opportunity Emerging
The world into which India would finally step in 1920 was itself wounded and weary. The VII Olympiad, held in Antwerp from 14 August to 12 September 1920, was conceived not as a spectacle of grandeur but as a gesture of healing. Belgium had suffered immensely during the Great War, and Antwerp was chosen in recognition of its endurance.Despite the exclusion of the defeated Central Powers - notably Germany and Austria - 2,626 athletes from 29 nations gathered in Antwerp. The Games featured 156 events across 22 sports, including disciplines that now seem distant from the modern Olympic programme: tug-of-war, polo, and even korfball as a demonstration sport.
For the first time, the Olympic flag bearing five interlaced rings fluttered against the sky, representing the union of continents. The Olympic Oath was administered for the first time, spoken by Belgian athlete Victor Boin, pledging fairness and honour. Doves were released as symbols of peace over a continent that had only recently heard the thunder of artillery. Nations that had stood on opposing sides of the battlefield gathered in cautious fraternity.
Into this fragile yet hopeful arena stepped a small contingent from colonial India - six athletes and two managers - carrying neither political sovereignty nor state sponsorship, but something perhaps more powerful: aspiration.
Vision, Preparation, and the Making of a Team
The architect of this historic return was Sir Dorabji Tata, son of Jamsetji Tata and one of India’s foremost industrialists. A committed sports enthusiast, Dorabji believed that the vitality of a nation was reflected in the vigour of its youth.Around 1919, while attending athletic events at the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune, he observed young Indian runners competing barefoot with remarkable endurance and natural stamina. Many came from rural or modest backgrounds and lacked professional training, yet their performances convinced him that India possessed immense untapped athletic potential. What was missing was exposure, organisation, and opportunity.
Recognising that the colonial administration would offer little initiative, Dorabji took personal responsibility. With the encouragement of Sir George Lloyd, he approached the International Olympic Committee to secure permission for India’s participation. A provisional Indian Olympic Committee was formed for this purpose, years before the formal establishment of the Indian Olympic Association in 1927.
Crucially, Tata financed much of the venture himself, covering travel and preparation expenses. His act was not merely philanthropic; it was visionary. In sending athletes abroad, he was asserting that India, though colonised, would not remain invisible.
The team selected in 1920 represented diverse disciplines and regions. In athletics were Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule (marathon); Sadashiv Vishwanath Datar (10,000 metres and marathon); Purma Banerjee (sprints and flag bearer); and H. D. Kaikadi (5,000 metres). Wrestling was represented by Dinkarrao Shinde and Kumar Navale, both products of India’s traditional akhada culture.
The athletes travelled by sea from Bombay to England before proceeding to Belgium, where they encountered structured training systems and modern coaching methods largely unfamiliar in India. Adaptation was essential, not only to climate and diet, but also to equipment. Many Indian runners were accustomed to training barefoot, whereas international competition demanded spiked shoes and technical precision. The transition required both physical adjustment and psychological resilience.
During that period of preparation, these men, drawn from different linguistic and social backgrounds, began to see themselves as representatives of a single identity: India.
Breaking the Silence at Antwerp
When the Indian contingent marched into the Antwerp stadium during the opening ceremony, led by Purma Banerjee carrying the Indian flag, the symbolic weight of the moment far exceeded the size of the team. Though India remained under British rule, her name was announced among nations.The performances were marked more by courage than by medals. In wrestling, Dinkarrao Shinde achieved a commendable fourth place finish in the featherweight category, coming within reach of a podium position and demonstrating that India’s indigenous grappling traditions could withstand international scrutiny. Phadeppa Chaugule completed the marathon under unfamiliar and cold European conditions, an act of endurance that testified to resilience rather than result. The athletics team did not reach the finals, yet participation itself was a triumph of organisation over obscurity.
They had broken a twenty year silence.
Alongside Dorabji Tata’s leadership stood Lady Meherbai Tata, a distinguished tennis player and social reformer. Though not an Olympic competitor, she embodied the broader cultural dimension of the Tata vision. At a time when women’s participation in sport was still emerging globally, her advocacy and international presence reflected a modern and progressive India. Sport, in this conception, was not merely competition; it was social advancement, dignity, and confidence.A Quiet Beginning That Echoed Across Generations
The Antwerp 1920 Olympics did not bring India medals, but they brought something far more enduring, legitimacy, continuity, and belief. The experience paved the way for participation in the 1924 Paris Olympics and culminated in the formal establishment of the Indian Olympic Association in 1927, with Sir Dorabji Tata as its first President.The twenty year gap between 1900 and 1920 was not a void of ability; it was a void of structure. Antwerp marked the moment when that structure began to take shape. Six athletes crossed oceans not as representatives of political independence, but as pioneers of sporting destiny. They stepped into history quietly, without medals, without fanfare, yet with resolve.
Every Indian athlete who has since stood beneath the Olympic flame stands, knowingly or unknowingly, upon their shoulders. In Antwerp in 1920, India did more than participate. She announced her intention to endure, to strive, and one day, to triumph.
References
- Boria Majumdar and Nalin Mehta. Dreams of a Billion: India and The Olympic Games. HarperCollins, 2020.
- Lala, R.M. For the Love of India: The Life and Times of Jamsetji Tata. Penguin Books India, 2006.
- Ronojoy Sen. Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India. Columbia University Press, 2015.
- Mallon, Bill and Bijkerk. The 1920 Olympic Games McFarland & Company, 2003
- Tata Central Archives. Sir Dorabji Tata: The Pioneer of the Indian Olympic Movement. tatacentralarchives.com
- Olympics.com. Antwerp 1920: The Games of Peace. Historical Series. olympics.com/en/olympic-games/antwerp-1920
