(SportsHistorianandformermemberoftheNationalSportsCouncil)

Iremember, our past sportsmen and sportswomen performed to their best on the field. The Sports Administrators also had a close eye on these Athletes. They were able to plan out and set up a 2nd stage for these Athletes. They established several successful plans and had discussions at the highest level to promote the Sport in the country. But sadly, I cannot see the same taking place today, as Sports Administrators have decided to take the field instead of the Athletes, and taken the game into their hands. Today, I see Sports Administrators have taken the front seat, instead of the sportsmen and sportswomen of this country, and are presently in the limelight for the wrong reasons. It is the Athlete and his/her achievements that popularises the related Sport.

Officials of National Associations are more keen to see their pictures in the newspapers and on TV, rather then performing their duties. Some officials have set up their own groups within their Sports administration. They don't realise that the Sports association is in existence because of the sportsmen and sportswomen. Another setback is these officials' determination to remain in office and indefinitely hold onto their positions. It has been a difficult situation even for the authorities to get rid off them. Even if they are removed from their positions, some officials make sure they are appointed to a different position in the same Sports Administration. The Sports Ministry has brought in several rules and regulations to curtail these culprits from remaining in office forever. However, their efforts are in vain.

Another issue I see is that, whoever is appointed to head a Sports Administration, he/she is compelled to join hands with the politicians, while those who do not fall in line, are shown the exit. Hence, these officials are compelled to obey the politicians, just to survive in their post. Some Sports Administrations have turned out to be their own property, because of their close contacts with politicians, and run the Sports Administration according to a personal agenda. They do not have a proper plan to develop the related Sport. Some Sports administrators hang on to office simply for their relationship with international associations.

The main reason for the decline in Sports in the country is because we have a set of administrators who have no real connection to the Sport, not having played the game at all. We have some top administrators in the country, but they are reluctant to come forward and serve the country, as they do not receive due recognition for their efforts.

Their was a huge improvement in Sports from 1990 to 2000. We won medals and many championships during this period. But later, Sports began to decline gradually, because we do not have an efficient Sports administration in this country. We have set up temporary solutions for most of the setbacks. Another reason for this crisis is because the medals won by our Athletes are being converted into financial incentives. It is good to encourage medal winners, but it should be done as a policy. As a result, we are finding it difficult to control the situation. We have to initiate a long term and short term plan and implement it, if we are to make progress in the international stage.

When we talk about the role of National Sports Bodies, it reminds me of India's Lodha Committee Report, its recommendations and its implementation. The Lodha Committee Report was hailed as an attempt to restore the glory of Sports in India. Among the areas touched are the role of the games' stakeholders, administrative structure, player welfare, transparency and conflict of interest etc. This Report is something our Sports administrators should take note of, as it addresses a number of key areas which are also found in our Sports arena.