Even as India’s sports federations are run abysmally, athletes perform well

While an IOC ban can be damaging — in terms of optics as well as the consequences for athletes — it won’t have any immediate impact in terms of participation in the CWG, beginning July 28. India’s 215-strong contingent is primed to win medals at the Birmingham Games. And therein lies an anomaly — even though the federations continue to be run abysmally, India’s performance graph on the field has been steadily on the rise. Across sports, the country’s athletes have consistently been challenging the best and finishing on the podium, which points to the infinite possibilities if only sports bodies performed their duties more sincerely.

The federations must set their house in order to remain relevant. The IOA, which was suspended a decade ago by the IOC for similar governance issues, has already been reduced to a post office, with its role largely confined to sending entries for major multi-disciplinary events. To ensure that they, too, don’t meet a similar fate, it is important for the federations to act professionally and think creatively to identify talent, train players and become self-sustaining financially. Else, the never-ending power struggle could see them dwindle into oblivion, especially with the government, in many cases, already bypassing them.