The Holier than Thou attitude of the Ministry of Sports — Is it for Real?
View(s):One is incited to ask the question. Is the Ministry of Sports (MoS) on a mission to introduce a Moral Rearmament of sorts into the field of sports in our paradise island of dreams? And is there anything wrong with this noble thought? At a recent media conference, very despondently declared that most of our National Sports Associations (NSAs) have no proper plans, except of course to use it as a springboard of travel to exotic destinations; anywhere other than India has the travel agencies will tell you.
Most of the NSAs are representative bodies that go back a long way and most of them, if not all, are affiliated to international sports organisations such as World Athletics (WA), International Cricket Council (ICC), World body for football (FIFA), and World Rugby (WR) and so on. These are independent organisations who disdain the involvement of governments. That overarching premise is constantly upheld by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its local protégé, the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC). The minister, in his misery, has referred to officials of sports bodies as thieves who work for their personal benefits. He appears to be determined to clean the rot and wants to start with rugby and football, if recent newspaper reports are anything to go by.
He is also quoted as saying that the NOC is not a part of IOC. That defies reason. Everyone, and his aunty, knows that these two bodies are like father and son. So, when the minister bemoans this relationship, one is inclined to hold one’s head and wonder where all this expansive righteousness is leading to. Most countries as far as known, don’t have a Ministry of Sports. The task of developing and regulating the sports is left to independent associations with affiliations to the international bodies. In the case of sports under the Olympic umbrella, the Olympic Charter prevails as defined by the IOC and its local counterpart, the NOC. To say that the NOC comes under the purview of the MoS, is a mute salvo and a long debated issue that either party leaves aside and strives to cooperate as best as they can. This is not to say that the NOC is God’s gift to mankind. Its own limitations are well known and its battle for office is a constant challenge among factions that surface at election time. At best, it has been the hope of the sports public that the MoS and the NOC work in tandem sharing administrative and technical responsibilities to bring out the best talent of our little island home.
Why the NOC took on the cause of rugby is not so much a riddle for those in the know. The NOC had no such feelings for a bigger international sport like football. But what is plain to all those international organisations, is that as a nation we specialise in shooting ourselves in the foot as we are prone to do in many international fora.
There is no cooperation or unity within and among the NSAs. As the minister points out, they all embrace each other only when opportunity of an international tour comes their way. Then the jockeying begins and old favours are cashed in to gain accreditation to enjoy the luxury of a sponsored tour. The minister has that bone to pick with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), who constantly has a fleet of officials on its many sojourns abroad. SLC has one of the most envious budgets in the country and the MoS believes they must have a say in how it is spent. Thus every misdemeanor is amplified by interests within the ministry and the dirge goes on. Thus, if push comes to shove, the SLC as well all premier NSAs like the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) are ready and willing to take the MoS to court, something the minister laments about.
Normalization committee seems the best solution
With the Treasury unwilling to finance sports given the financial strife in the country, the MoS is unable to impose its writ on the sports bodies. Most of them are supported by their international masters and to that degree, continue to call the shots. FIFA has demonstrated that degree of oversight as evidenced by their demands. Now the minister appears ready to accept the conditions only after a purported visit to FIFA headquarters in Zurich after six long months had lapsed. Why he could not do it before, is anybody’s guess. Now, a zoom chat is due to take place next week with indications that an administration that was put to pasture, may be subtlety reinstated; smacks of the chicanery that typifies our state apparatus.
Football pundits feels that a normalization committee is the best solution for the sports in the short term. Clean it up before it’s allowed to continue. This will also help Minister’s dilemma.
Most public and not just from sports, will applaud the die-hard stance of the minister in cleaning up our sports administrations. That objective is sacred. But how this could be done and the desire to maintain the power of the state in a sector such as sports, is a challenge for any government. What is required, is a close MoS engagement with the NSAs and a cordial partnership with the NOC. The minister is no doubt sincere in his perception of the NSAs. That outlook is shared by all sports lovers in the country.
But as to how he intends to do that is an entirely different matter. One maverick with ages of experience suggests that the MoS structure be simplified and inscrutably linked with the NOC by a mutual PPP (Public Private Partnership) arrangement. The National Sports Council is redundant in such a scenario and inevitably, a cost efficient workmanlike approach could be envisioned and brought to bear into our sports firmament.