Old Horses must charter New Courses in National Sports!
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The newly appointed National Sports Council headed by Mahela Jayawardene
The brand new National Sports Council (NSC) appointed by the irrepressible and influential Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports everyone acclaims, is studded with some of the biggest names in Sri Lanka’s sports history. So the theory is that they cannot fail. In that illustrious team are top flight business leaders in Rohan Fernando and Kasturi Chellarajah Wilson and for good order, the Army Commander Shavendra Silva himself. When you have two cricket icons to boot and Mahela at the helm, one is left to believe that no stone has been left unturned. With Ronnie Ibrahim also brought into the equation as Coordinating Secretary, one can only safely assume that a very good team has been put together to drive Sri Lanka sports into the future.
And so one wonders what their all-encompassing mandate would be? What roles would they be expected to play alongside the somewhat archaic administrative machinery of the Ministry of Sports and its counterpart sports convener, the National Olympic Committee, with its umbilical link to the IOC. We all know that the investments made over the years by the GOSL with its annual budget vote for Sports has not brought sufficient dividends. Cricket remains sublime with its substantial resources and rugby has some fortunate benevolence, but the rest quickly fades into oblivion with poor management and lopsided commercial interests not delivering the expected results. It is reported that the Minister of Sports in his opening remarks after assuming office, quite rightly stated that it is not the job of the MOS to dole out funds to the National Sports Associations (NSA). That these sports bodies must be commercially viable was the cryptic message he delivered. While assuring that there will be support in establishing centres of excellence for each of the sports, the task of raising funds was aid squarely on NSAs.
That restructuring is perhaps where the NSC can play a pivotal role. The Sports Act is outdated. They must work hand in glove with the MOS and NOC to establish a holistic sports administration model that each NSA must be compelled to follow in order to gain accreditation as a body that is officially recognised to manage the sport. These NSAs can thus be graded, so that national resources are channelled to those that are better organised and have the best potential. There is no point in distributing meagre funds across the smorgasbord of sports, some of which are created to facilitate the designs of journeymen who find a convenient vehicle in which to roam the world.
The NSC might therefore consider putting the house in order starting with the MOS itself. This edifice, many will tell you, is an overburdened bureaucratic labyrinth, laden with tons of duplicated paperwork that is endlessly circulated each day. Not to say that the MOS is bereft of dedicated and efficient people, but these ardent officials are overwhelmed by a system that generates a kissing goes by favour myopic routine. This discrepancy must be rooted out.
This column on more than one occasion has advocated the introduction of a Web Portal that carries the Long Term Plan (04 years), an Annual Plan, Key Objectives, KRAs and so on, with at least quarterly updates, that mirror the performance of grand designs. This would provide the transparency for all to see if the NSAs concerned are progressing satisfactorily! Into such a Web Portal, all other information and statistics can be built in, so that the public can access key information and be coopted as watchdogs of our national sports heritage. This will make regular reviews infinitely easier and better managed. The NOC must be wedded into this superstructure, so that their role is complementary and not contradictory, as it happened at the last SAG fiasco.
The Sports Council itself must be held accountable for performance and results. So, that it becomes a regular task and not an annualised ceremonial do-good exercise. For starters, they can consult each of the top-tier NSAs and determine precise goals and key targets. Once these are identified, it must ensure that a robust plan and adequate resources are put in place. And then of course, a quarterly review and report to the Minister of Sports himself. So, there is no room for error! Perhaps, the other important area is the welfare of national athletes. It is common knowledge that other than cricket and to a lesser degree rugby, most other sports leave their protégés in limbo after their national duty is done! Take the example of Malinga for example and what places he has travelled after arriving from an obscure village setting! But what of the others? Must national champions go back to driving tuktuk’s after their days are done? We have innumerable examples of the heroes of yesteryear walking the streets for a living, except those who were fortunate to migrate to foreign climes.
No parent would encourage their child to take to a sport unless it perceives a meaningful future for their offspring! Hence, the long line-up at cricket academies. Football is a classic case of plentiful resources thanks to the largesse of FIFA, but an absolutely deceitful management over a long period of time, leaving them at the bottom of world rankings! These aberrations must end. Top national stars must be placed on a professional footing with annual contracts and a proper reward system. They can further be compensated for outstanding performance. So at the end of their career, they can move on to other pursuits with dignity and honour. The National Sports Council must make it their task and emboldened responsibility to set a new paradigm for our sports!