Damn sports governance

The Sports Ministry has learnt the art of pulling wool over the eyes, as the phrase goes.

In what can be termed as blatant violation of its own sports code (NSDC 2011), the Sports Ministry has shown that nothing matters when it wants to favour National Sports Federations which it thinks “are deserving.”

For the better part of 2020, the NSFs seemed to have been left in the lurch during summer. At first, it seemed the recalcitrant NSFs would be under pressure, which they were.

However, it was only a matter of time before the Sports Ministry got emboldened after it went to the Supreme Court. What the Supreme Court said is a matter of interpretation but the Sports Ministry took its own sweet time and then started giving recognition back to the NSFs, slowly and steadily.

For its part, barring a few NSFs which held elections recently, including the Athletics Federation of India and a few more like the All India Tennis Association, there has been a lot of ambiguity. The Handball Federation of India held its elections as well but there are still issues pending, though they have recognition from the Sports Ministry.

The latest action from the Sports Ministry, under the leadership of minister Kiren Rijiju is how even those NSFs which have blatantly violated the NSDC 2011 for years in a row have been recognised. Notable among these are the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) and the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

One cannot find too many flaws with the FMSCI as it has never taken grants from the Sports Ministry. Whatever motorsports activity takes place in India is due to efforts of the tyre giants in India like JK Tyres and MRF and few car manufacturing companies.

As regards the EFI, it is a rogue federation. It has been run like a private enterprise with zero accountability. Sample this, when the EFI held elections in September 2019, it flouted all norms. The election results were declared so that the sport could  carry on.

Anyone familiar with the EFI knows over the last decade, they have played politics which will put even NSFs run by politicians to shame. Selection scandals, poor administration, senior Indian Army officers becoming presidents of the EFI just by virtue of their  seniority (Quarter Master General), QMG in short, made it farcical.

Now, because of a legal matter pending in the Delhi High Court the EFI has no president and senior vice president as they have made it a habit of changing president annually! This, because, QMGs come and go.

 The point is, when the Sports Ministry throws the rule book at some NSFs like hockey, tennis, athletics and rowing, why are they doing special favours to the EFI, FMSCI and a few more non-descript bodies.

It is shocking that the Sports Ministry of the NDA Government acts like this. Agreed, not all provisions of the NSDC 2011 cannot be complied with. Surely. the EFI has well wishers in the Sports Ministry which is why it has been again given time of one year to make changes in its constitution. This goes to show the drama staged in the last few months by the Sports Ministry was an eyewash.

For its part, even now, the EFI is doing nothing to help out its own rider who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Fouaad Mirza continues to train in Germany, fully funded by the Embassy Group. Equestrian is an expensive sport and the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India have no concern for Fouaad. He is the same boy who won laurels for India in the 2018 Asian Games.

The more on hears and reads about the Sports Ministry’s actions these days the more one is convinced they are not being transparent. If the NSDC 2011 exists just for the record, it has been proved yet again.

Damn sports governance in India.