NEW DELHI: A confrontation between many important national sports federations and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is now imminent on the question of Government guidelines,

Griticising the Government on “its continued and systematic onslaught of the Sports Ministry on the functioning and autonomy of the sports bodies, 13 national federations and state Olympic associations urged the IOA here to urgently call a general body meeting to discuss the most disturbing issue of guidelines, which were causing an immense harm to sports and sportsmen in the country.”

Expressing solidarity with the Badminton Association of India (BAI) in pulling out its team from the Commonwealth Games, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi president of the Amateur Athletics Federation of India said no self respecting person or federation will any more bow to the whims and fannies of the sports ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI),

Mr. Kalmadi and nominees of 12 other federationsand units have addressed a joint letter to the IOA President, Mr. BS. Adityan, saying, “Silence on the part of the IOA on guidelines is being construed as ‘connivance with the Government.”

When reminded that the BAI is “no more than a three member body for more than two decades and it walks in and out of the IOA at its own whims,” the august members gave a vague and unconvincing answer.

The federations which have sought IOA general body meeting include athletics, archery, handball, hockey, National Rifle Association of India, table tennis, canoeing, Basketball Federation of India and the Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and U.P. Olympic Associations.

Describing it as “mad, sad and bad” the role of the Government to tighten its noose around the federations, Mr. Kalmadi said: “Weare left with no option except to stand up and face the challenge in the interest of sports movement in the country.”

Mr. Kalmadi said that the federations had been rendered “impotent” just because they received Government subsidy and passages. He expressed his shock at the treatment meted out_to the BAL “First badminton was dropped from the priority list and then there is no cooperation forthcoming to BAI from SAI and Government nominees,” added Mr. Kalmadi.

Badminton, itis learnt, has been dropped from the priority list because it is considered “not competent enough” with the eclipse of Prakash Padukone and the murder of Syed Mody at Lucknow last year. Mr. Kalmadi said it was shocking that the Government and SAI nominees failed to attend the BAI selection committee meeting at Lucknow, reducing the whole thing to farce, “Earlier the Sports Ministry did the same thing with the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF)”, added Mr. Kalmadi When asked why the BAI president Fazil Ahmed should have cancelled the selection committee meeting even if the Government and SAI nominees failed 10 turn up, Mr. V.K. Malhotra merely said: “Mr. Ahmed had no alternative,”

Mr. Kalmadi wondered how an Under Secretary in the Sports Ministry could write to the IHF saying that his ministry would not deal with the secretary since it did not recognize him. “Where is sports coming down to?” he asked.

Citing many other examples of highhandedness on the part of the Sports Ministry Mr. Kalmadi and others went on record that they had been driven to the wall to “seek justice and intervention” from the Human Resources Development Minister Mr. Shiv Shankar.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 12, 1989