National Sports Bodies Must Be Regulated

TREAT THE MALAISE AND NOT THE SYMPTOMS

Hockey our National Game and an Olympics Sport, has mostly remained in the public eye during the last decade for the wrong reasons than the right. The Indian Hockey team’s recent victory in the first ever Asian Championship Cup, is a welcome change from the despondency and many years of frustration, which accosted its fortunes in major international competitions. After having lost the opportunity to host the Champions Trophy in India, this win comes as a shot in the arm for Indian Hockey and augurs well for its chances to qualify for participation in the London Olympic Games 2012.

It is characteristic of the way and manner in which, Sports is treated and Sports persons engaged with by the aficionados who administer and manage it in India that, we were confronted by the ignominious news of the players being handed out a pittance as monetary incentive for this victory. The obvious ensued, and the entire hockey team in a show of solidarity, preserved their self esteem and dignity by refusing the reward. The snub was down played and the situation retrieved, when the Sports Minister declared that in pursuance with the Nation’s Sports Incentive Scheme, the team is entitled to a more respectable award of Rs 1.25 lacs per player. The ever active and visible electronic media literally went into an overdrive to churn out hours of coverage on this controversy and yet again put cricket and cricketers into a headlong comparison with the financial plight of hockey and hockey players. Like before, on many an earlier occasion, the debate and programme which ensued on television thereafter, unnecessarily dragged into public domain the monetary benefits accruing to cricketers as against that, of those who represent and play for the Country in our National Game---Hockey. This exercise is not only meaningless but also divisive. Because, in these times of television advertisement for product endorsement and the corporate money which fuels it, both the sport and our current international standing do not lend itself to generate any substantial earnings from the same. Notwithstanding the fact that, the corporate must show some social responsibility by backing Hockey our National sport and help it to achieve centre stage in the world standing, their business sense and commercial pragmatism does not suggest so. And no best practice business model will do otherwise.

 Ironically, the decline and ascent of Hockey and Cricket in the world stage respectively, was contemporaneous. The emergence of the synthetic playing surface in Hockey, greatly benefited the robust and physical style of playing of the Europeans and Australians and which was in contrast to the Asian ‘skill predominant’ pattern of play. Poor vision and management by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Hockey India (HI), which continues to remain, and our intransigence to train for fitness and speed endurance in particular, which underlines power play in Hockey, became our failures, resulting in our decline from a position of world supremacy. On the contrary, India’s win in the Prudential Cricket World Cup 1983, cemented the self belief of Indian Cricketers that they had arrived on the World Stage and are there to stay. Some professional and well thought of astute financial strategy and a futuristic vision of the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI), significantly contributed to the professional development and promotion of the game. And the rest, as they say is history. Playing cricket and participating in cricket related activities became a win win situation for all. The financial possibilities which exponentially emerged from selling TV rights, advertisements, publicity, sponsorship rights, merchandising et al, helped make Cricket and Cricketers popular and iconic, respectively. Hockey had been derailed from its privileged position by Cricket. It therefore should not be anybody’s case to grudge what amount of money a Cricketer makes, lest he is wanting in his commitment to the game.

With the Atlanta Olympic Games, Television turned Sports on its head and most major international events amassed huge profits for its Organizers. The volume of people and  popularity for a Sport in India, make it a huge money spinner with accompanying business overtones. While Cricket profited from the environment and put the money it made to good use, Hockey which was on the decline became worse off owing to Government apathy and wanton mismanagement of its parent body, the IHF. The existing federation ie Hockey India (HI) has been dried up of money to such an extent that, it could only afford Rs 25000/- to each player as reward. Mr Maken came to HI’s rescue and assuaged the hurt feelings of a team and players, who are putting their best foot forward to redeem their place and pride. But, unfortunately this is only a temporary measure, which is unlikely to make any significant contribution in the fortunes of the game in India. The answer probably lies somewhere else and for sure must be discovered by the Sports Ministry, its field adjunct the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the parent body of the sport HI. In this, we should not be unduly optimistic about regaining our past glory, but endeavor and strive to promote, develop,  popularize and sell Hockey. Sporting excellence, a complex mix of genetic endowment and the environment, which includes training needs to be nurtured at an all inclusive level, with a no holds barred attitude replete with passion and love for Sports to the exclusion of all else.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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