The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a final warning to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) earlier this month: resolve all issues or face suspension. Given what happened with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which was briefly suspended by Fifa, soccer’s governing body, we all know the risk is not zero.
However, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur is hoping that the situation does not deteriorate further.
In Lausanne, the government and IOA representatives are meeting with the IOC in an effort to make sure the constitution complies with both the National Sports Code and the IOC charter, Thakur told HT. “In my opinion, that shouldn’t be much of a barrier. I have high hopes that the issue will be handled and that the election will be held by the end of December.
India’s sports stars may continue to focus on what has to be done if things fall into place. In the event that it doesn’t, the game might finally end up in court just once. Recently, courts have been actively attempting to address a number of Indian game-related issues, from variety to operational challenges. Sometimes the situation persists for genuinely long periods of time, which is an unhealthy pattern. Thakur may be intensely aware of it, for one thing.
Because it affects players’ careers and the nation’s medal total, he said, “I think it should be time-bound.” “Less litigation is really significant; if you add up the number of cases and litigants, you’ll see how many litigants there are. Anyone in need of assistance should visit the court. The only question is how long they take and who is bringing them to court.
Top-down vs bottom-up
For Indian game, the top-down approach has been successful in the short term. Our country has produced an Olympic champion, and overall performance levels are rising. Elite athletes can now dream big and acquire the most valuable assets should they so desire thanks to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
At the same time, several have asserted that more work needs to be done at the grassroots level if India is to become a wearable country.
Khelo India’s Thakur: “Top to bottom is actually helping but simultaneously, we can’t be ignoring the bottom-up approach”. There are 1,000 centres and 590 have already been authorized. A former athlete can be employed and given ₹5 lakh every year to arrange a centre.
Revenue type
Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres, fund the TOPS athletes and provides grants to associations. But for the nation to in reality transfer ahead, the federations want to devise a type that does no longer simply depend on the executive. “Hockey generates price range, kabaddi does higher or even wrestling generates some cash, however no longer many undertake a certified way that is wanted to do smartly,” says SAI chief executive Ravi Agrawal. Companies additionally center of attention on the athlete the place they are going to get one thing in go back.
Realistic objectives
In the previous, unrealistic objectives were set for Indian athletes. From a top-10 end in 2028 to successful 50 medals in 2024, the checklist is lengthy. These expectancies best harm Indian game. Thakur needs to stay issues actual.
“To win as many medals as we can… more than what we did at Tokyo (7)… double digits; and that does not mean 99 medals,” mentioned Thakur. “In many games we have existing champions but where will they be in the next 1-2 years? That is also a challenge. Will they peak at the right time? NSFs need to identify what the priority is— do you want to win at the Olympics, the World Championships or the National Games and accordingly, the roadmap needs to be made.”
