Sporting icons employed by govt will have to part with 33% of their income
FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS State sports & youth affairs department issued a notification in this regard in Apr
CHANDIGARH: Olympic medal winning pugilist, Vijender Singh, also a Haryana police officer, who turned professional in 2015 will now have to part with 33% of his income earned through professional sports and commercial endorsements and hand it over to the state government for development of sports.
Other sportspersons like hockey player, Sardara Singh and wrestler, Geeta Phogat will also be affected by the decision. Singh played the India Hockey League (IHL) while Phogat has done endorsements for JSW steel.
Formulating fresh conditions governing such sportspersons, the state government has ordered that sportsperson who are employed in any Haryana government department or body will have to seek extraordinary leave (without pay) during the period of participation in professional sports.
“One third of the income earned by the sportspersons from professional sports or commercial endorsements will be deposited with the Haryana State Sports Council. The money shall be used for the development of sports in the state,’’ says an April 27 notification issued by Haryana Sports and Youth Affairs department.
The Sports Council was established in 2016 under an Act for the promotion of sports and sportspersons.
Principal secretary, sports and youth affairs, Ashok Khemka said in case such sportsperson is treated on duty (with the prior approval of the competent authority) while taking part in professional sports or commercial endorsement, the full income earned by the sportspersons on this account will be deposited with the council.
DGP BS Sandhu said the new conditions will be applicable from a prospective date (after April 27, 2018). “The Inspector General, Haryana Armed Police has communicated the new conditions to all sportspersons employed in the state police,’’ the DGP added.
While Vijender and Sardar Singh were inaccessible, wrestler Geeta Phogat said she did not agree with these conditions.
“We have to work so hard to excel at international level. Besides, a lot of monetary investment has to be made by our families in our training, practice, diet, equipment. Players do not get the required financial support from the government when they are in their early years and not yet stars. So, what’s wrong if they earn through commercial endorsements after earning a name worldwide. My suggestion is that the government should not come out with such conditions,’’ Phogat, a Haryana police officer said.
CONTROVERSY OVER TURNING PROFESSIONAL
A Haryana police deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Olympian Vijender Singh was at the centre of a debate in 2015, even prompting a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana high court, after he signed an agreement with United Kingdom based Queensberry to turn professional. The Haryana home department, in a statement before the high court, said Vijender Singh did not give information to its employer (the Haryana government) with regards to signing of the contract with Queensberry.
The home department told the HC that Vijender intimated that he wanted to take coaching under a trainer with the Queensberry, Lee Beard to upgrade his skills, so he can fight world’s top boxers in international competitions.
He also intimated that he intend to enter into a contract with Queensberry Promotion. He requested that he may be permitted to go to England for a year for the above purposes as per rules and in case the permission is not possible he may be granted one-year leave.
The state government, however, observed that outstanding sportspersons who brought laurels to the country at international level have been recruited in the police as icons of sports for sending a message to the budding sportsmen.
“Considering the fact that such sportspersons have a limited shelf-life at the international and national level, the service rules/conduct rules governing sportspersons recruited at different levels need to be modified to allow them leave/special leave and permission to sign contracts/endorsements/participate in professional or amateur games, championships at different levels.
It has been decided that the of Sports Youth Affairs department be informed about this decision,’’ the government had said before the HC.