Chandigarh, Aug. 13 -- Eighteen years ago at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, four of India's five boxers belonged to Bhiwani-a district affectionately known as Little Cuba in Indian sport. All four were men, and one of them, Vijender Singh, etched his name in history by winning bronze and snapping India's Olympic medal drought in boxing. Fast forward to August 2026 in Glasgow. Four Bhiwani girls-Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, and Priya Ghanghas-punched their way to four Commonwealth Games gold medals, thrusting Haryana's athletic dominance firmly back into the spotlight. Haryana accounts for just 2.09% of India's population and 1.4% of its landmass. Yet, at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the state's athletes brought home 11 medals, including seven of the 13 golds won by India. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Haryana sent 25 athletes. Out of India's six medals, four belonged to Haryana competitors: Neeraj Chopra (javelin silver), Manu Bhaker (two shooting bronzes), and Aman Sehrawat (wrestling bronze). A fifth medal-the men's hockey bronze-featured three key players from the state. During the Paris Paralympics that summer, Haryana produced eight of India's 29 medallists, the highest contribution of any state. Go back to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, and Haryana claimed 21 of India's 66 medals; at the 2022 edition, state athletes won nine gold, four silver, and seven bronze medals. From Beijing 2008 through to Glasgow 2026, Haryana's sporting icons have amassed 71 gold, 58 silver, and 78 bronze medals across the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. To fuel this fire, the state government has distributed Rs.772 crore in cash awards since 2009-10, with Rs.730 crore disbursed since 2014-15 under the BJP administration. Today, Haryana rewards medal winners across the board-from the All India Rural Sports Tournament to the Olympic podium. Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini credits the state's robust sports policy for this relentless dominance. "From the National Games to the Olympics, Haryana's presence is felt across the country," Saini says, highlighting the combination of raw athletic hard work, family backing, and state infrastructure. Former Haryana director general of police OP Singh, who served as sports director from 2008-12 and designed the Sports and Physical Aptitude Test (SPAT), points to a deeper shift: "Our edge is that a child believes the stopwatch, not the sifarish (recommendation)." According to Singh, the state built a system and a scoreboard that an entire village could trust. "SPAT was public, standardised, age and gender-neutral, and conducted in front of a thousand watching parents. A child who could run, jump, throw, and stretch qualified. A child who could not, did not. Nobody's uncle could fix it," he says. He adds that athletic inspiration spreads through direct exposure rather than administrative decrees: A local champion returns home as a seed, bringing back elite coaching, new benchmarks, and an elevated status that aspiring local youth strive to emulate. At the core of Haryana's emergence as India's medal factory is its lucrative cash award system. The state awards Rs.6 crore for gold, Rs.4 crore for silver, and Rs.2.5 crore for bronze at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Athletes receive Rs.15 lakh just for qualifying. Under a September 2019 sports department notification, cash incentives span 29 national and international tournaments. Coaches of Olympic medallists earn Rs.20 lakh, Rs.15 lakh, and Rs.12 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze respectively, alongside similar incentives for the Asian and Commonwealth Games. Merely participating in four-year mega-events like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, or World Cups brings a Rs.7.5 lakh payout. At the grassroots, SAF and National Games gold medallists receive Rs.5 lakh, while winners in grassroot events like Khelo India or rural tournaments receive Rs.50,000. "Rs.6 crore does not create a single athlete," says OP Singh, whose swift administrative decision in 2010 helped shape Neeraj Chopra's early career. "What it creates is a signal that this state honours its players." Sports historians trace the policy's roots back to former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala. Ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Chautala announced payouts of Rs.1 crore, Rs.50 lakh, and Rs.25 lakh for medal winners. Though no athlete from Haryana won that year, Chautala famously rewarded Karnam Malleswari for her weightlifting bronze because she was married into a Haryana family. He later personally visited the homes of 2002 Asian Games medallists to hand out cash awards. The momentum accelerated under chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's Congress government (2005-14). "The Congress government directly appointed medal-winning athletes as deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) for the first time in the country," Hooda says. "We formalised the cash reward policy and introduced SPAT. As a result, at the 2010 Commonwealth Games alone, Haryana athletes secured 30 medals, including 16 golds." Since 2009-10, the state has paid Rs.772 crore in prize money to 25,216 medal winners, including 17,521 athletes over the past 12 years. Following the Glasgow Games, Haryana is set to distribute over Rs.13 crore more to its latest champions and participants. Behind every podium finish is a family making quiet, massive sacrifices-stepping down from jobs to serve as cooks, drivers, caregivers, or personal managers. In 2017, Upkar Singh Hooda quit his comfortable position as an assistant professor at BPS Government Women's College in Sonepat to travel with and support his daughter, badminton player Unnati Hooda. "One medal can change the future of an entire family," Hooda says, pointing to the life-altering impact of the state's reward system. Unnati's mother, Kavita Hooda, a college principal in Rohtak, emphasises the physical foundations laid at home: "Our athletes come from villages where children grow up in physically demanding environments. That natural physique becomes a competitive edge. A champion is prepared in the kitchen just as much as on the playground." Veteran boxing coach Jagdish Singh, who trained Sakshi Chaudhary and mentored dozens of international pugilists at the Bhiwani Boxing Club, agrees that parental sacrifice remains the primary driver of the state's success. Glasgow gold medallist Jaismine Lamboria sees Haryana's dominance as a self-sustaining cycle of culture, local role models, and family backing. "Children grow up watching athletes from their own villages win medals. When someone next door succeeds, it shows you what's possible," she says, a sentiment echoed by fellow gold medallist Sakshi Chaudhary. "Sports has become a preferred, viable career for Haryana's youth," Sakshi says. "Rural academies, quality coaching, government backing, and absolute determination have turned our state into a champion factory." Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist and two-time Olympian Akhil Kumar believes athletics has transformed into a fundamental way of life across the state. "The same fathers who once warned kheloge toh bigad jaoge (that playing sports would ruin your life) now march their daughters to the akhara at five in the morning and manage their diets like elite strength coaches," says OP Singh. "When achievement is rewarded transparently and selection is merit-based, families invest. Sport in Haryana is no longer a gamble. Scholarships, nurseries, jobs, and cash awards have turned sweat into a secure career."...