India has a new Sports Minister, Ajay Maken. Sample what he had to say in his first media briefing, and it does not make for a rosy picture for the Indian sports industry:
“I request and wish that sportspersons be given a greater role and opportunity in federations and sports bodies. I don’t think someone who hasn’t played a sport at any level can be as passionate about administration as someone who has been a sportsperson,” Maken said.
“Those who manage sports bodies should have played the game at some level and transparency and reforms (with regard to tenure and age limit) also need to be implemented. But these bodies can be given time and it can be done in a staggered manner. We can’t have a confrontational approach. We have to talk to these administrators and ensure that they agree to what we want,” Maken added.
The minister also said that he was open to dialogue with officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has withdraw customs duty exemption for import of goods by the BCCI after it failed to submit relevant documents to register as a National Sports Federation.
For Gods sake, Mr. Maken, you are the Minister! You can’t be “requesting and wishing” that sportspersons be given a greater role and opportunity in federations and sports bodies. You need to empower sportspersons to play a more significant role! A la the Karnataka boys who barnstormed the KSCA!
While a non-confrontational approach in dealing with sports federations sounds great in principle, those in charge of the NSFs are not waiting to be asked to leave. They need to be shoved out if they are in violation of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ guidelines on age and tenure in sporting bodies.
And going by the muted reaction in the media, the BCCI has hardly broken a sweat over the customs duty exemption being withdrawn for its failure to submit the necessary documentation to register as a NSF.
Maybe I am being a bit too judgmental so early in the day, but it is worth watching where Maken goes from here.
About the Author:
Amrut Joshi is the Founder of Gamechanger Sports Ventures (www.gamechangerindia.com). He can be contacted at amrut@gamechangerindia.com.
