Since the inception of the Modern Olympics in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin, India has secured a modest total of 41 medals—10 gold, 10 silver, and 21 bronze—across 30 Olympic Games, yielding an average of merely 1.36 medals per edition, a stark underperformance that belies its status as the world’s most populous nation and fourth-largest economy. This historical record represents a mere 0.14% of the approximately 30,000 medals awarded throughout Olympic history, with nearly 1,000 medals distributed at each Games, highlighting a profound and persistent gap between national potential and athletic achievement. However, recent Olympic cycles have signaled a gradual transformation through emerging successes in shooting, wrestling, boxing, badminton, and weightlifting, demonstrating India’s growing capacity to compete at elite levels when strategic investment, targeted athlete development, and enhanced sports infrastructure align to translate demographic and economic resources into podium performances.