A Life Saving Intervention to Resurrect Sports

We are living in a world that is constantly changing. Yet, ironically, India’s Sports bodies do not want to change. Implying that either our present sports administrations are much superior to that of other countries or that we have interests other then sports and prestige of our country guiding our actions.

Why are sports important? Why should WE as a Nation bother?

We bother because we take pride to be Indians and sports is directly linked to national pride.

Sports are a part of any countries ‘soft power’ projection and to take charge of our own destiny in the arena of sports, we need to involve all stakeholders right from stage of preparation to celebration of victories. It’s time that positive changes were introduced in the functioning of Sports bodies.

The onus to bring in the change thus falls onto the ‘Ministry’ that deals with Indian sports. It is here the surgeon’s knife, which cuts to heal is required. If this is termed as ‘intervention’, then it is life saving intervention. In short, we have to rescue sports from administrative apathy and lethargy.

The sports bodies are crying foul about infringement of autonomy. The writing is on the wall, the governments that have set their houses in order are of major sporting nations- USA (Ted Stevens and Amateur Sports Act 1998), South Africa (National Sports and Recreation Act 1998), France (France Code of Sports) last amended in 2006, to the extent our neighbours too have kept pace, Sri Lanka (Sports Act 2005), Malaysia (Sports Development Act 1997) to name a few.

Lets consider the key issues being introduced via the bill:-

Sports persons to be part of governing body: A governing body is the highest decision making entity in sports bodies. Consider this, you go for an emergency operation in a hospital and find the team about to operate on you is that of MBA’s; would you let them operate just because they partly administer the hospital. Why is result so important here and not in sports; because here the pain is part of us, however in sports we can get into denial mode and look the other way. The presence of sportspersons will provide the much-needed technical expertise while taking important decisions in the interest of the sport. The sportspersons, to be on the board, will be elected from amongst themselves.

The sports bodies to come under ‘Right To Information Act’: Administering sports for a country is a public obligation not a private business. It gives the administrators privileges and also shoulders them with certain responsibilities -being answerable to the citizens of the country. RTI is however applicable for only a part of the functions of the sports bodies and not with team selections and personal information about the athlete. Coming under the purview of RTI Act has a big pay off too; transparency in the functioning of the sports bodies will encourage corporates to extend financial support, something that is lacking in present sporting environment. The present decadence in our sports bodies and the way they are perceived is a direct result of lack of transparency and application of RTI Act will go a long way in ameliorating the situation.

The age and tenure limit: Now per se, I agree that age and efficiency are not indirectly proportional. There are a few good workers in our existing sport bodies. The exceptions however prove the rule. A sports body ought to be quite the opposite of a permanent residence; it should be the active grounds for bright ideas, administrators on their toes just as the athletes are, that’s when you are poised to perform. The occupants state a counter charge, “the prime minister does not have an age or tenure limit so why should we”. This only suggests the absurdity of the argument. The closest example should have been the charter of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) itself, which limits the age and tenure. It is followed in many countries including USA and China yet the IOC does not recommend it for India. 12 years, as the suggested tenure cap, is a time long enough for policies to be implemented and their results to be seen. For the efficient, it is enough and for others it will never be enough.

The ‘mantra’ to success in any field is adaptation and innovation, infusion of new ideas and good doze of young blood. In sports too this is the path to follow and the road to success has to begin by changing the way our Sports bodies are organized and the way our sports mandarins work.

Life's A Race, Is It Really!!

I received this as an email. I found it inspiring and thus have put it on my blog for you to read:-

It was a Sports Stadium.
Eight Children were standing on the track to participate in a running event.
* Ready! * Steady! * Bang !!!
With the sound of Toy pistol,
All eight girls started running.
Hardly had they covered ten to fifteen steps,
when one of the smaller girls slipped and fell down,
Due to bruises and pain she started crying.
When the other seven girls heard the little girl cry they stopped running, stood for a while and turned back.
Seeing the girl on the track they all ran to help.
One among them bent down, picked her up and kissed her gently
And enquired as to how she was..
They then lifted the fallen girl pacifying her.
Two of them held her firmly while all seven joined hands together and walked together towards the winning post........
There was pin drop silence at the spectator's stand.
Officials were shocked.
Slow claps multiplied to thousands as the spectators stood up in appreciation.
Many eyes were filled with tears
And perhaps even God's!
YES.!! This happened in Hyderabad [INDIA], recently!
The sport was conducted by
National Institute of Mental Health.
All these special girls had come to participate in this event
They were spastic children.
Yes, they were Mentally Challenged.

CWG Selection Trials

I think, as sportsmen, we all go through the adversities created by our sports officials some time or the other.

Basically - our previous selection policy was-

selection trials are held for competitions in the forthcoming 2 months calender (and if someone has won a medal in the immediate past or had an exceptional performance then he is excused form trials, if he so desires with permission of Federation)

Hence after taking 2009 off I planned to start training by Jan 2010 and be in form by Jun 2010 for World Shooting Championships (WSC) 2010.

However in Mar 2010, we got stumped by the Federation when they announced a new selection policy. The new policy was to follow a system of adding up all scores shot by shooters and averaging them out. The highest aggregate gets selected.

The problems-

1. The policy was implemented in Mar 2010 but scores were retrospectively taken from previous months like Feb 2010...giving rise to prejudice and bias

2. Scores shot by Indian shooters abroad in different (mostly better) conditions were to be compared to scores shot in humid, hot and windy conditions prevailing in the summer months in India.

3. Taken by surprise, since i was not in form in early 2010, i was left with a huge score deficit to catchup in the later selection trials (in Indian conditions)

4. Interestingly the same policy was for Rifle and Pistol shooters too but was amended for them but not for Shot Gunners. So we had a situation; one federation but different selection policies. Again, revealing bias.

5. The whole atmosphere of Vindictiveness, created by the sports administrators did not leave me or some of the other shooters with a positive frame of mind to overcome the odds stacked up.

6.The policy laid down some grace marks for Olympic/WSC medalist but decided that 2004 Olympics being in distant past did not warrant grace marks (as if the experience is limited by 4 year life cycle of each Olympics)

Its now interesting to hear the officials say that the matter was never brought up to their notice, was it not, really!!!

Interestingly, I was in Italy in Jun 2010 where the World Cup Shooting (WCS) was scheduled. In a WCS if there are inadequate number of shooters then the vacancies in the shooting squad have to be filled up by a zero shooter (his scores are not officially counted towards the medal prospects for that competition). So, I got the opportunity to shoot as a zero shooter there. However, upon learning of this the Indian federation, immediately issued a verbal diktat to all shooters that no one is to take part as zero shooter, without the permission of the federation. A permission that they would not give. Normally, I would believe that a federation promoting sports and its sportsmen would want its shooters to get as much opportunity as is possible to shoot and demonstrate their caliber. Or was it that, the federation did not want any anyone other then those selected to throw up a brilliant performance. Why should actions of a sporting federation raise questions.

I have tried to maintain as positive an attitude as is possible, even today as the news is breaking out on the TV and other Media. I do believe there is a higher good for me despite these troubles. I know the strength of the Indian Shooting Team and hence am looking confidently at all those selected to win at the CWG Delhi. By all accounts, the shooters are only growing stronger.