Federations playing negative role: Ajay Maken

K Shriniwas Rao, TNN

MUMBAI: Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken believes that if the Indian sports fraternity is freed from the iron grip of the various federations, it could be a huge shot in the arm for the nation’s sporting culture.

“The federations have been playing a negative role,” Maken said while in Mumbai. The sports minister was here inaugurating Fusion 2012, a day-long conference on sports, media and entertainment.

“Unfortunately, the growth of sports in India has been stunted due to the monopoly of sports federations, which have become fiefdoms of powerful vested interests. It is necessary to break their stranglehold and that will happen if the sports leagues and other new initiatives — which are emerging in today’s sports market in India — are actively promoted,” he said.

Maken, along with other members on the panel of speakers — former hockey players Mir Ranjan Negi and Sybil D’Mello among them — brought up the example of Indian hockey administration to make their point. “In 1998 the Indian hockey team won the Asiad gold in Bangkok after 32 years. But what happened after it returned? Seven players were sacked and so were two coaches by the IHF led by KPS Gill,” Negi said. The panel blamed the hockey administration squarely for the mess created over the years.

The sports minister says that the primary thing about implementing the sports bill is that transparency will become the key issue because of RTI. He argued that if an administrative body like the BCCI could seek so many exemptions from the government, taxes for instance and use of police services, then it is only proper that they agree to the proposed sports bill. He also spoke on the upcoming Olympic Games in London later this year, adding that the government has spent close to Rs 111 crore so far on the Games “including Rs 55 crore only to give Indian sportspersons the right kind of exposure overseas”.

Maken believes the year may indeed bring in the much-talked about change in India’s sporting culture, especially once the sports bill is passed.

“Once this Bill is passed, you will see revolutionary changes in the world of sports in the country. We want to set up sports universities and an academy of sports sciences. I will get the cabinet’s okay for this bill before 31st March,” he said.