Why? Sports is Languishing In India

MAKEN’S DILEMMA

Now, that we have a Sports Minister, who has shown the required acumen to draft a Bill for the good of sports and games in the country---the political lobby which administers and manages the several sports associations in India, has risen up in arms against any such move to rein in Sports Bodies. Regulation or else restraining the autonomy of these National Sports Federations (NSFs), which have literally become the fiefdoms of the powerful and the rich, has devastated Indian sports, to the chagrin of the people. It is the case of  the NSFs that, the charter of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) does not allow or permit any government regulation/ interference in their internal management. Therefore, the government which represents the people of the country does not have a mandate to exercise any supervision/regulation over these NSFs, irrespective of their performance and continuous inability to lift and improve the standard of sports in the country.

We had a situation in the recent past, wherein the highest forum of the country’s representative democracy was literally brought to its knees, by the people. This because, the people, who are supreme in any permutation and combination of democratic arithmetic prevailed. It becomes rather difficult to understand and digest the stand of these NSFs on the issue of either regulation or autonomy, only because it is loaded with chicanery and is bereft of any worth. When it is everyone’s case that the bottom line for tenanting any office of authority must be premised on accountability and delivery, the constant ranting and raving of the office bearers of the NSFs  in the backdrop of the IOC’s Charter, is nothing but a charade. It genuinely surprises me that the Government has been duped  by this ruse played upon it, by a clutch of politicians who benefit from the authority and privilege which accompanies the office of Sports Bodies.

Should the Government not be guided by its sense of equity and responsibility to the Nation, in the matter of reining in the NSFs and bringing about  a closure to this entire matter. The loudest and biggest votary of autonomy for the NSFs---Suresh Kalmadi, is the Frankenstein who has created this cacophony amongst the Sports Bodies, who continue to threaten the death of Indian Sports, should there be any move to regulate their functioning and management. Mani Shankar Aiyyar too had sometime back, articulated a Draft Sports Policy with the same objective of demanding accountability from the Office Bearers of the NSFs, but he demitted his office soon thereafter and brought glee into Kalmadi’s face. There is an inextricable political link in the ceaseless efforts of the Sports Bodies to resist regulation and any suggestion of treading upon their autonomy. The Country has been witness to the massive blunder created in the organization of the Common Wealth Games 2010, by leaving almost everything to Kalmadi and which resulted in unprecedented corruption. As there was no visible political will shown to fight corruption in public life, till Anna arm twisted the Government to show a resolve in the Parliament; similarly there appears to be no political will in the matter of regulating the Sports Bodies.

It begs of the Government of India to show some political sagacity and dare the hollow claims of  the IOA/NSFs, of facing an International boycott from participation in all IOC  sponsored sporting events, by going ahead with what is considered best for the promotion, development and management of sports in India. This includes regulation and reining in of their functional autonomy. However, it is imperative that those who step into the vacuum so created in the IOA/NSFs are professionals who understand sports and are driven by genuine love of sports than all else.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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