The troika of Indian sports…and our tricolor

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(Free-Press-Release.com) April 1, 2011 -- The troika of Indian sports…and our tricolor

Is corporate India, sports ministry and the sport administrators a story of the Good, Bad and the Ugly troika of the Indian Sports?


In the current euphoria of ICC World Cup, where India is doing so well, it is time to remember another World Cup (in this case… Hockey).

Almost one year back, on the eve of Hero Honda - World Cup 2010, Hero Honda Motors Ltd CEO Pawan Munjal said the corporates are trying their bit to lift the sport but claimed that it will require huge support from the administrators of the game (in this case ‘Hockey India’) to put the national sport back on track. ''We, as corporates are doing our bit and it is my humble request to all those running the game in the country to come together to help in bringing back it's lost glory,'' Munjal told media persons here.

Recently, the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry has made some very special efforts to push the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to migrate from their holiday in absolutely isolated junk yards in the name of autonomy to the national registrar of societies, so as to bring more transparency and uniformity in the functioning of National Sports Federations and without exception, we expect the same principle to apply to the State Sports Federations (SSFs) in the due course.

It is reliably learnt that the ministry is also planning to scan all the NSFs to weed out the twin shadows of single administrator who like to flaunt their double chair holding sports status rather than paying heed to what Munjal thinks of them. Sports lovers may recall that in a major blow to the highhandedness of the sports bodies in the country, a show-cause notice was issued to All India Chess Federation (AICF) asking how its President N Srinivasan can also be the Secretary of the mighty Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Well the ‘Srinivasan Syndrome’ as now referred to the glaring twin chair holders is not limited to Chess but we have the likes of Srinivasan in BK Sinha former IPS Officer (President, Tennisball Cricket Federation of India and also Associate VP of ‘Athletics Federation of India’); Karti Chidambaram (President, Tenpin Bowling Federation of India and also Vice President of ‘All India Tennis Association’); ID Nanavati (Treasurer, Wrestling Federation of India and also Vice President of ‘Indian Boxing Federation’); BS Adityan (President, Volleyball Federation of India and also Vice President of the ‘National Rifle Association of India’) and Narendra Batra (General Secretary, Hockey India and also Treasurer, of the ‘Delhi State Cricket Association’)

In a Nation of 1.20 billion, where Cricket has emerged as a national unifying force and a prime mover for breaking grounds through sports diplomacy between India and Pakistan, why the potential of other sports like Tennis, Wrestling, Volleyball and Hockey is not finding its rightful place in the country. If corporate leaders like Munjal, who have long exhibited their demonstrative support for the ‘National Game’ and the new zestful Minster of Sports and Youth Affairs (MSYA) Ajay Maken is busy disciplining the National Sports Federations, why the removal of twin hatters should not come as a big jolt to the sports administrators who are only serving their own interest and prestige!

The Ministry must ensure that the key office bearers of NSFs and SSFs are seen as ‘public servants’ and no ‘public servant’ can hold two offices. Instead of their resignation from one of the post of their choice, their compulsive expulsion from both bodies should serve as deterrence since we need serious administrators of sports or else how can corporate India invest crores in sports when their basic concern about the efficacy and efficiency of sports administrators is overlooked. It can rest be assured that corporate India is ready with the big bucks as they love the waving tricolor, the youthful minister is serious to cleanup the mess but the likes of Sinha, Chidambaram, Nanavati, Adityan or Batra are not on the same page as rest of the Nation.

Do we require the likes of advocate Dipesh Soriya to file another PIL against the twin hatters to take honourable court to crush the srinivasan syndrome or will the shameless sports administrators themselves take corrective measures on their own and retire to their respective junkyards minus their unwarranted sports administrators’ identity?

Thankfully, the corporate is very much backing the tricolor; the zestful Minister looks serious in his business at Shastri Bhavan and it now remains to be seen that how soon can the handful unwarranted followers of the ‘srinivasan syndrome’ leave the field? Can anybody disagree that the troika of sports has an obligation to the tricolor and the ugly syndrome needs an absolute crush down?

If that happens…it’s a new dawn for our tricolor.

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