Neeraj Chopra has been consistent at the international level and Avinash Sable’s steeplechase silver can easily be labeled as India’s best at the Commonwealth Games.
, England. The rhetoric around the Indian game is, of course, positive. The Prime Minister’s words in his recent interactions with Commonwealth Games medalists are a clear example.
However, the moment we look at the administrative set-up of Indian sports, federations and the people who administer them, things go awry.
While the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has already caused national embarrassment and the possibility that India may lose the rights to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has also been embroiled in controversy. With no elections, the IOA was also placed under a Committee of Administrators (COA) by the Delhi HC, an order which was later stayed by the Supreme Court.
While it started with archery and cricket, we now have court appointed committees running several sports federations in India including hockey and table tennis.
Is COA the solution? Why were the IOA elections not held on time? Was it because the chargesheeted officers refused to make way? Why are constitutions drawn up that do not follow international norms and are not supposed to be adopted globally?
A few weeks ago India passed an antidoping bill. It was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and is a highly welcome development. Parliament passed it as India is a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on Anti-Doping. Now in this regard we probably cannot say that when it comes to doping in India we will not follow WADA norms. If WADA bans a substance, then India has to ban it too. In any situation where international laws or mandates are to be followed, India will have to abide by it whether it likes it or not. Allowing individual voters in AIFF elections will not really work with FIFA. If the international mandate does not allow individual voters, the only way out of this situation is the need to revise the sports code with international norms. In a global sports ecosystem, local laws will always have to conform to international norms.
So, what is the way forward? Will poor governance by federation chiefs and others undo efforts to help transform Indian sports? Can the judiciary help clean up the system? Will the Sports Ministry be able to play a key role in helping in this process?
Till now the specified time-frame has often been ignored as we have seen in the case of AIFF. The CoA was appointed by the Delhi High Court on 31 October 2017 and an SLP was filed in the Supreme Court on 10 November 2017. The next hearing of the AIFF case was held in the apex court on May 18, 2022.
Will happen
Do FIFA on India in the next few months if the IOA doesn’t get their house settled?
The writing is on the wall. Just as athletes now have accountability and are held accountable for the money spent on them, administrators also need to be held accountable. The elections need to be held on time and the courts have no option but to appoint a committee to not push things over a cliff. For sports federations that already have COA running the show, the faster democratically elected bodies are put in place, the better for them. COA is an unfortunate requirement and nothing more.
From 1976 onwards, post-Olympic headlines were always about inequality and meager medal returns among India’s billion-plus population. Tokyo 2021 showed that things have changed. There are positives about India becoming a multi-sport country. The country’s top leaders from the Center and the states helped in this change. It shouldn’t go to waste. Athletes and fans deserve better.
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