Here's hoping to fulfilling 2025 after controversial 2024 in Indian sports
New Delhi: “Time gnaws and wears away; it separates; it flies. And by virtue of separation -- by separating man from his pain or from the object of his pain -- time cures.”
Nothing heals better than time. The arrow of time ceaselessly flows towards the future and never stops, binding every event together like a chain. It’s this future that usually holds promise and gives us hope.
Prediction is a futile exercise but wishing is not. With these thoughts in mind, after a not-so-very savoury 2024, Indian sports would look forward to the year 2025 with lots of hope.
2024 was perhaps one of the worst years in terms of Indian sports and sports administration. The Olympics were a big disappointment where India managed only six medals, out of which three came in shooting and two by Manu Bhaker.
Badminton and boxing, the two sports that had given medals at the previous Olympics fired blanks. In fact, boxing seemed clueless as to what to do.
It was a disaster. Wrestling was in a mess. Shooting and athletics were bright spots. Despite no dearth in funding and facilities, athletes in some disciplines flattered to deceive. Hope for a new life in 2025.
There were several National Sports Federations (NSFs) that have not held their elections either because of the Delhi High Court order or because of in-fighting. There are at least four NSFs still governed by administrators, one such example is judo, where they have not even called for elections.
Even the sports ministry is confused with recognition. They are yet to clarify on NSFs’ recognition part. Here’s hoping the courts find some kind of a solution and let NSFs function as autonomous bodies with legitimately elected members.
The administrators, whose primary job is to find a tangible solution to NSF problems, should pave the way for elected bodies. It is time they should also be held responsible for not putting NSFs back on track. And by next year the sports ministry should be able to know which code to follow and recognise NSFs more publicly.
Adding to this commotion is the Indian Olympic Association mess. The fight between IOA president PT Usha and the majority of the executive council (EC)just got bitter this year. It was dirty with both sides trading verbal volleys and needless controversial allegations.
The revolting executive council suddenly fell silent as the IOA president announced the National Games in Uttarakhand without the IOA’s general assembly (as should be the norm) vetting it. In fact, there has been no Annual General Meeting since it was held almost two years ago in 2022 where the old audit reports were passed hurriedly.
Perhaps 2025 will bring some sanity to the whole IOA with all factions coming to the table for discussions. That could be with a New Year Message from the IOA president to all its members including the warring faction of the EC. Or else call for fresh elections. And of course, the executive council and general body meetings are held this year.
Draft National Sports Governance Bill 2024. The later part of the year was dominated by the discussion over this draft bill. The intention of the sports ministry seemed novel but some of the ideas in the draft bill seemed to be infringing on the autonomy of NSFs and the IOA.
The formation of the Sports Regulatory Board of India looked a bit out of place. Maybe someone who authored the draft forgot that there is a sports ministry and also a Sports Authority of India (SAI) that oversees whether the NSFs follow sports code or not. They control funding too.
What makes the draft dreary is that the NSFs need to register with the SRBI who in turn will see whether they could be recognized or not. This also means the recognition will not be looked after by the sports ministry, nor will SAI have any authority. Autonomy, that seems to be sacrosanct for NSFs and IOA, can go shopping.
Like one of Sartre's Being and Nothingness's point, this will question the freedom of NSFs. But we have hope.
The draft bill is not yet tabled in the Parliament and the sports minister will find a way to meet on a mutual ground. The formation of appellate penal could be a bright spot because it will finally put an end to the multiple cases pending in various High Courts and Supreme Court. Hope is what we have.
Since the Olympics, the sports ministry and Sports Authority of India seemed to have taken a breather. There is no SAI director general since Sandip Pradhan ended his tenure in September. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) did not have a leader until December. The TOPS list has not been updated, for five months after the Olympics.
Apart from one or two, foreign coaches in various sports have not yet been appointed. The National Sports Awards list that is supposed to be announced in August has not been announced yet.
This indicates trivialization of such a big award and the sanctity of the awards is under threat. Hopefully, the New Year will usher in change. And hope.
