Not many people are aware that a movement known as the Clean Sports India (CSI) has been launched by ten former sportspersons of repute in our country. The mismanagement in Indian sport has crossed all acceptable limits of tolerance, as can be seen from Commonwealth Games fiasco, and this movement aims at ameliorating the sorry state of affairs.
To me, the crux of the problem is that Indian sport is run by every Tom Dick and Harry other than sportspersons. The administrators have never played any sport in their lives and this trend is rising. This is precisely the reason why a country of a billion people dishes out only one Olympic medal every four years, although Beijing 2008 was a rare exception where we managed three. Sports have become good money-spinners and there is rampant misuse of funds. Gentlemen, who have occupied the posts of presidents and secretaries of federations and boards for several decades, do not leave these lucrative positions, as there is absolutely no threat from former sportspersons to take up these responsible portfolios. Hence they enjoy a free ride literally.
CSI is bound to ruffle a few feathers amongst sports administrators as the latter would be pulled out of their comfort zones. However it is very unfortunate that former sportspersons are very skeptical in getting involved in administration. They have to be encouraged to do exactly that and run sports like a corporation in India. “Perform or perish” should be the mantra, and ruthless professionalism should be the forte of the system. The challenge ahead for the CSI is enormous, but they have to succeed to revive Indian sport from the doldrums.
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