Role played by Sport in the Pursuit of Aspirational India.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES
30 Nov, 2022

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Theme : Government Policies & Interventions

Paper:GS - 2

TABLE OF CONTENT

  1. Context
  2. Sports Governance in India
  3. Issues related to Sports Governance in India
  4. Important Government Initiatives
  5. Road Ahead

Context : There is a need to reshape sports governance in India and look forwards towards democratization of sports culture.

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, the National Sports Policy was initiated.
  • In 2000, the Department was converted into a Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
  • In 2011, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports notified the National Sports Development Code of India 2011.
  • In 2022, the Ministry of Civil Aviation launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022) for Aerobatics, Aeromodelling, Ballooning, Drones, Hang gliding and powered hang gliding, Parachuting etc.

Issues related to Sports Governance in India : 

  • Lack of Parental Push: In India most families pressurize their children to outshine in academics and work hard towards becoming an Engineer, Doctors or successful entrepreneur.
  • The underlying feeling is that sports do not fetch a decent livelihood or make one wealthy.
  • Social and Economic Inequalities: Social and economic inequalities have a negative impact on Indian sport.
  • Denial of access to sports infrastructure due to poverty, concentration of stadiums and other sports avenues only in cities, lack of encouragement to girls to participate in sports, etc, have impaired the development of a positive sports culture in the country.
  • Policy Lacunae: For the development of any sector, formulation and execution of an effective policy is a sine qua non.
  • This is true for sports also. Till date, the sports policy planning and implementation is centralised in the country due to the paucity of resources, this has led to many incidents like IPL Spot Fixing, Olympic Games bidding scam, Sexual harassment incidents in women’s hockey teams.
  • Corruption and Mismanagement of Sports Authorities: Corruption has become synonymous with sports administration in India.
  • Whether it is the most popular cricket or hockey or weightlifting, most of the sports authorities in India have come under attack due to corruption charges.
  • Besides, the involvement of politicians in the administration of sports bodies for a very long period and controversies surrounding the 2010 Commonwealth Games, dented the image of sports administrators in India.
  • Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs: Use of performance enhancing drugs is still a major problem in the sports sector. India ranks first when it comes to Anti-Doping Rule Violations or the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Adverse Analytical Findings.
  • This problem still needs to be addressed effectively, despite the creation of the National Anti Doping Agency in the country.
  • Empty Playgrounds: Modern technology and video games have distracted children from playing physical games. Today many children are on their mobile phones instead of playing with their friends on the playground.
  • Due to this the young children are becoming susceptible to many diseases at an early age, like diabetes and hypertension.

Important Government Initiatives : 

  • Fit India Movement
  • Khelo India
  • SAI Training Centers Scheme
  • Sports Talent Search Portal
  • National Sports Awards Scheme
  • Target Olympic Podium

Road Ahead : 

  • Adequate 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.
  • The quality of infrastructure can be scaled up to the village level and regional centers should be made available for those who are serious at taking their sport professionally.
  • Effective Legislative Backing: 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.
  • Restructuring Governance and Management: There should be a proper demarcating of roles and responsibilities among different bodies involved in the Indian sport sector to maximize the use of resources and ensure there are no gaps in meeting the needs of sport.
  • However, this needs to be done in conjunction with the sectors in stake and cannot be dictatorial along with inclusion of professionals in the strategic and management spot.
  • Formation of the separate ‘Corporate Functions’ group for management of sponsorships, media rights and government funding will help fix the responsibility of revenue management.
  • 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.The education system should be revamped to give sports an equal importance in the holistic upbringing of a child.
  • Developing as a Potential 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.
  • Example: Iten, Kenya.
  • There is a small town called Iten in Kenya. It has produced more than 10 world champions in athletics in the last couple of decades.
  • Almost every middle-distance runner in the world has been to Iten for training at least once in their lifetime.

FAQs : 

  1. Name a few Important Government Initiatives.

ANS:

  • Fit India Movement
  • Khelo India
  • SAI Training Centers Scheme
  • Sports Talent Search Portal
  • National Sports Awards Scheme
  • Target Olympic Podium
  1. When was the National Air Sport Policy Launched ?

ANS. In 2022, the 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.