SAI chief showers largesse on favourites
CHANDIGARH: When the sports ministry de-recognised the Archery Association of India last year for flouting government guidelines on age and tenure, Sports Authority of India officials did not realise the treat they were in for.
Since no federation official can travel with teams abroad as a result of the ministry directive, SAI officials are getting to holiday abroad on the pretext of accompanying the archers for taking care of their needs.
Knowhow is of no consequence here as administrative officials with little or no knowledge of the sport have been sent on trips.
CONNECTION
Recently, SC Sharma, posted as director, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, was sent as manager of the team for the World Cup leg in Poland. Before him, Thomas Abraham, attached to the office of SAI director-general, Jiji Thomson, went to South Korea.
“Abraham’s qualification is that he has been attached to the DG’S office throughout his career and Sharma is well connected in the ministry. Senior officials are obliging their near and dear ones on taxpayers’ money,” said a SAI official who did not wish to be named.
“Abraham is retiring in two years and the DG wanted to send him on a foreign trip. Earlier, he had cleared Abraham’s name for a youth programme in China but the tour didn’t happen,” he added.
With the purpose of awarding Sharma with a foreign trip, Thomson had earlier cleared his name to travel to Switzerland for studying the cycling infrastructure of the International Cycling Union-run training centre and training of the four Indian cyclists there.
Sharma could not make it as HT highlighted the issue, but instead got to travel to Poland.
WHY IS HE THERE?
There is also the case of MS Verghese, deputy director of Trivandrum’s LNCPE College, who accompanied the archery team to Colombia. Verghese looks after the schemes wing and archery is not a discipline there.
When contacted, Thomson said, “Foreign tours are based on a rotational policy. We have officers who have never travelled abroad, so I am giving them a chance. Moreover, it acts as motivation.”