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From
Tehelka Magazine, Vol 9, Issue 50, Dated 15 Dec 2012 |
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Olympic-sized mess
The IOA’s suspension is a huge embarrassment, but it could well prove to be a godsend
Vishwanathan Krishnaswamy, Independent Journalist
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Illustration: Anand Naorem |
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LESS THAN four months after winning a record haul of six medals at London, Olympic sports are back in focus. Now, that should normally be a matter of joy for those who want greater limelight for our Olympians, instead of all that attention being lavished on cricketers. But the news of the Indian Olympic Association’s suspension could hardly be a source of joy for anyone, least of all sportspersons, whose ultimate dream is to compete under the tricolour.
First things first. Indian athletes who qualify for the 2016 Olympics would still be eligible to compete at the Games, but if the suspension continues till then, they will compete under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) flag.
The most adversely affected would be the IOA officials, who would no longer be able to get funding from the IOC — which runs into hundreds of thousands of dollars — and they would not be allowed to attend IOC meetings. Let’s be clear: the athletes’ training exposure trips were never funded by the IOA. All that came from taxpayers’ money. However, the IOC did give out a few Olympic Scholarships to sportspersons, which would be stopped during the period of suspension. That, sadly, would be a blow to a few deserving individual athletes.
The IOC had demanded that none of the ‘tainted’ officials from the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam be allowed to stand for IOA elections or be part of the body. CWG organiser Lalit Bhanot is set to be elected unopposed as IOA secretary-general, even though he is currently on bail after facing corruption charges. Bhanot spent 11 months in custody following corruption charges that plagued the CWG. True, no can be held guilty till convicted, but public perception counts for a lot. That is where the IOA has no supporters, within or outside India, save for a bunch of voting IOA members.
The IOC wants the IOA to abide by the Olympic Charter, which does not allow for government interference. The Indian government, in turn, has sought to make sports officials more accountable and put a limit on their tenures, which is bad news for the likes of IOA acting President Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who has been heading the Archery Association of India for more than 40 years.
Clearly, the IOA does not want to incorporate these points in its Constitution, calling it government interference because it would make a whole lot of the officials ineligible. Many of them have been heading their federations, or at least been in position of influence, for more than 12 years. Many are politicians themselves and they come from all parties — the ruling and the opposition.
Many corporates stay away from Olympic sports because they don’t wish to deal with federations, which in many cases are faction-ridden. Sponsors are confused about who to deal with or which is the ‘correct’ organisation. When they are unable to decipher this dilemma, they simply turn to cricket. So why blame cricket?
If only the IOA had accommodated certain key portions of the Sports Code, like capping tenures and ensuring officials under investigation were not made part of the body, the IOC would not have had any objection. In addition, the IOC should have been allowed to have its observer at the elections. These simple things would have allowed the Olympic spirit to prevail and there would have been no suspension and no embarrassment.
Even now, it’s not too late. If the IOA cleans up its stables, sits across the table with the sports ministry and looks at the overall good of sport and not merely at vested interests of a few individual officials, a lot can be achieved. The IOC would willingly lift the suspension. And the sponsors would heave a sigh a relief. After all, who does not want India, with its growing market, and huge number of eyeballs, back in its fold.
As the cliché goes: the glass can be seen as either half-full or half-empty. Depending on the way you see things, this suspension could even turn out to be good for Indian sport.
(The views expressed in this column are the writer’s own)
letters@tehelka.com
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