Winning in India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games: Are you already talking yourself out of a medal?

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, are only months away.

What are we hearing from some athletes, coaches, administrators, the media and the public?

“It’s going to be hot over there”

“I am so worried about the security issues”

“How will we manage the travel?”

“I’m worried about the food and the health issues”

“I’m an endurance athlete – how will I compete when I have to breathe in all that pollution”.

Here’s a solution for you – don’t go!

If you are already talking yourself out of medal contention, then don’t go. Drop out. Give up  now.

Step back and let someone else -someone who wants to win and who will do whatever it takes to prepare to win in Indian conditions to take your place.

Or learn from this……

Here’s the thing.

Every athlete in Delhi will face the same conditions. The same heat issues, the same travel issues, the same pollution issues, the same food issues and the same security issues. Everyone will face the same challenges.

So, as it always is with competitive sport – success is a choice.

You can choose to let your mind wander, wuss and worry about the challenges of competing in India. You can adopt a defeatist attitude and think about how “hard” it will be to win in Delhi, how “tough” it will be to win in Delhi and how conditions will be so difficult in Delhi or……

You can make training more challenging and more demanding than the conditions you will face in Delhi.

You can adopt an attitude where no matter what Delhi throws at you, you will be ready for it.

You can be committed to tough, hard, challenging training where you deliberately face difficult problems in preparation and learn to over come them.

To win in India, your preparation for Delhi must be harder, more challenging, more demanding, more difficult  than the competitive conditions you will face in India.

The Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 provides the greatest ever opportunity for athletes who are prepared to do what it takes to prepare better than their opposition.

“Talking up” the conditions, the heat, the travel, the pollution, the security risks etc is negative and will only lead to failure. Delhi is the chance for the hard workers, the disciplined trainers, the “perfect”preparers, the determined competitors and the tough athletes to win and it all comes down to the way you prepare.

If you believe that winning in Delhi will be 10% harder than it is to win anywhere else then…

• Why don’t you increase your training volume by 10% as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?
• Why don’t you increase your training intensity by 10% as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?
• Why don’t you increase your training frequency by 10% as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?
• Why don’t you strive to find 10% improvement in your competition tactics and strategies as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?
• Why don’t you strive to improve and enhance your mental skills by 10% as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?
• Why don’t you strive to enhance your competition equipment by 10% as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?
• Why don’t you improve your recovery practices – sleep, hydrotherapies, cryotherapies, nutrition and massage by 10% as you prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 ?

The bottom line is this – if Delhi will be tough – you need to be tougher. If Delhi will be hard – you be harder. If Delhi will be challenging – you prepare to overcome it.

There are medals just sitting there waiting to be won by athletes who prepare to win in the competition conditions of the sub-continent.

There will be no “magical Commonwealth Games fairy” who will sprinkle fairy dust on you on the first morning of competition in Delhi and make everything all right, wonderful and beautiful.

To win in Delhi you must have prepared to expect the worst and trained to deal with it – deal with it better than anyone else in the world and – you can and will win.

Wayne Goldsmith

Footnote: In terms of security issues please listen to and follow the instructions of the organisers,the Governments and the appropriate security agencies. Being tough, preparing well, being ready to compete and being resilent does not mean being reckless and stupid! Security is part of all major sporting events and you have to learn to live with it, respect it, be cautious when required but not get intimidated by it. Compete well but compete safely!

WG