One
thing that I have constantly noticed with the Union Sports Ministry
or for that matter its arm, Sports Authority of India, in recent
times, is that they do not follow what they preach, with great
authority.
Both
have such wonderful public relation exercise now that they get away
with murder, without batting an eyelid.
And
one news that has been doing the rounds recently, by turn in various
newspapers, pertains to the inevitability of the dope-tainted coach
Yuriy Ogorodnik of Ukraine, guiding the Indian women's athletic relay
team for the Rio Olympics.
The
coach is 79 years young. The government triumphantly claims that it
had cleared the coach six months back. What happened to its policy ?!
What happens to the sports code, and the age eligibility criteria ?
If
the office bearers of a national federation become incompetent, as
per the understanding of the policy makers, once they reach 70 years
of age, how does the competent authority expect an athletic coach,
who works on the ground, to be energetic and eligible at 79.
The
officials cannot escape with a claim that the rule does not apply to
a coach, for they were instrumental in stopping the services of the
pistol coach Tibor Gonczol, precisely with the same policy.
The
Hungarian coach settled in Australia, Tibor changed the face of
Indian shooting once he took over in 1993. His prodigy Jaspal Rana
won the junior World Championship gold in standard pistol Milan in
1994 and went on to clinch the only gold medal for the country in the
Asian Games in Hiroshima in centre fire pistol, the same year.
Even
though he was only a pistol coach, Tibor, who died in January 2014,
used to address all the shooters whenever required, instilled the
best qualities and put them on the path of success.
I
recall quoting Jaspal Rana, Samaresh Jung and Olympic gold medallist
Abhinav Bindra, when they paid tributes to the genial coach on
his death.
‘’He
gave life to Indian shooting. It was his effort and vision.
Unfortunately, it was very sad that we disowned him when we started
getting the good results internationally’’, said Jaspal.
When
the SAI did not renew his contract and told him that he was overage,
Tibor used to wonder how India was being governed by politicians in
their 80s. A valid question for which nobody had any convincing
answer.
‘’During
the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, I sought his help when I had a
problem with my pistol a day before the centre fire pistol match. He
arranged a pistol for me then’’, said Samaresh, who had won the
David Dixon award for the ‘best athlete’ of the Commonwealth
Games in Melbourne
in
2006, with
a clutch of gold medals.
‘’He
was the first person to bring in knowledge and put Indian shooting on
the right path’’, said Abhinav Bindra.
Once
when the customs officials questioned a box of pellets used in air
weapons, while clearing the Indian team at an airport, Tibor chewed a
pellet to prove that it was not ammunition!
For
ten years after he had ceased to be the coach of the Indian team,
Tibor Gonczol continued to guide the shooters, who sought his advice,
through email and phone. When Jaspal Rana won three gold medals in
the Asian Games in Doha in 2006, he was in constant touch with the
coach on the phone.
The
point is that we quoted the rules for such a great coach, and we are
bending it so energetically and with such conviction for a coach who
was instrumental in trapping so many of our athletes in the dope web,
purely because of his ''negligence''.
The
simple question is, when the government is footing the bill, why is
that the athletic federation not able to find a competent coach with
a good background and record !
Enough
about government's mission on anti-doping. Let us move to its more
recent inclination that is anti-sports !
Rarely
can there be an example when a national sports federation seeks
judicial intervention, against the government's ``advice'', to ensure
the conduct of an international event.
The
overwhelming bias of the Union Sports Ministry towards an illegal
faction of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) was evident when
it issued an order, making it clear that it was under the direction
of the Union Sports Minister, ''not to hold any official event in
India''.
The
BFI rightly called it ''unnecessary, illegal and arbitrary''. The
Karnataka High Court, in its interim stay on the government letter
categorically asserted that the communication ''shall not be treated
as a bar for considering issue of visa to players and officials to
participate in the tournament''.
The
South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) championship was
successfully conducted in Bengaluru from July 3 to 5, with the Home
Ministry being prompt in giving clearance for Visa etc., even before
the court could give its direction.
Now
the Sports Ministry has conveniently asked the Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) which did not even bother to acknowledge the legal
faction, to sort out the issue. The Sports Ministry often finds it
convenient to fire from someone else's shoulder.
When
the watchdogs are sleeping peacefully or willingly barking at the
wrong party, it is difficult to keep the authority on the right
track.
It
was a classic case of reporting in the country's best-sold newspaper,
when the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BFI got away
questioning the ''locus standi'' of the president of the BFI, whose
faction has been approved by the international basketball federation
(FIBA), after it had studied every aspect.
Democracy
gains its strength by respecting the Constitution. Otherwise, it
would be anarchy. Any breakaway group, without the Constitutional
backing, deserves little sympathy, even if it is headed by God.
Who
can make the IOA or the Union Sports Ministry see this basic
principle of good governance !
