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SPORTS GOVERNANCE IN INDIA

 

SPORTS GOVERNANCE IN INDIA

Given India’s economy and the country’s young demographics, the narrative of Sports in India is undergoing a transformation. But sport's booming interest in India has not necessarily translated into better performance in the overall sports sector, barring a few sports like cricket and shooting.

There is a high level of complexity in the Indian sport sector as diverse organizations (e.g., governing bodies, private companies, not-for-profit foundations, etc.) are responsible for delivering and managing sport in India. Ultimately, the size and complexity of the sector is a significant contributor to a series of specific governance challenges for sport in India.

History of Sports Governance in India

• In the early 1950s, the Federal Government created the All India Council of Sports (AICS) to apprehend the declining standards of sports in the country.
• In 1982 , after Asian games, the department of sports was transformed into the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• In 1984, National Sports Policy was initiated.
• In 2000, the department was converted into a Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
• n 2022, Ministry of Civil Aviation launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022) for Aerobatics, Aero modeling, Ballooning, Drones, Hang gliding and powered hang gliding, Parachuting etc.

Problems Associated with Sports Governance in India

• Lack of Transparency and Accountability: The current sports model faces accountability issues such as that of having unlimited discretionary powers and also there is no transparency in the decision-making with irregularity in revenue management.
• Sports as a Hobby vs Profession: In India, sports is primarily viewed as a hobby due to its low success rate, academic pressures and job-seeker mentality, making it difficult for youth to pursue sports as a profession.
• Performance Enhancing Drugs: Use of performance enhancing drugs is still a major problem in the sports sector. This problem still needs to be addressed effectively, despite the creation of the National Anti Doping Agency in the country.
• Inadequate Professionalization: Many Indian sport organizations, particularly the governing bodies, have not made structural adaptations to meet the associated challenges of a commercialized and professional sector. These organizations continue to rely on volunteers to manage the operations of the organization rather than hiring skilled professionals to handle the increased workload.

Solutions for Sport Goverance

• Infrastructure Investment: To become a leading sports nation, India will have to invest heavily in building a modern infrastructure with international best practices in sports training, sport medicine, research and analysis across the sport institutions with adequate attention to all major sports.
• Effective Legislative : In the absence of strong legislation, there will be no efficacy in the functions of the sports authorities. Also, there might be absolute political intervention, which can be easily checked with a well-drafted legislation reducing anomalies.
• Creating Sports Awareness: By incorporating sports into children’s daily lives, it will not only boost their confidence, self-image and personality, but also open the gateway to a possible career in sports.Towards Bottom-Up Approach: The change has to begin from the primary education level to build a sporting culture in the country.
• Developing as a Training Hub: India has an immense coaching talent with vast experience in different sports that can act as a catalyst for the development of India as a training hub for sports like Kabaddi and Cricket at an international sphere.

Sports in a way are a great source of knowledge of what life is. We develop skills like Leadership, Teamwork, Patience, Competitiveness and Determination of Success. These are some of the good and must qualities that a person must have in his/her own life. Sports are generally played for fitness, passion and success.