Sports should have national emphasis
Suvesh
Sircar
Sports was not a national agenda for the
central and state government of our country but it has now
slowing becoming a most sought after issue when we take the
issue as health care and life style related illnesses which
is plaguing us in daily life. Most nations in EU, Asia and
North and South America have made sports as way of life to
keep healthy. So these nations have also succeeded in
cutting down cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other
illnesses. It is now high time for us to make sports a
national agenda in respect of increasing our medal tally in
various international competitions but also keeping us
healthy and honour the most precious phrase we learnt in
school that ‘Health is wealth’. Health as an asset a not a
liability to every individual. Sports mangement should have
international standard certification in India
Taking
sports management we should also create icons (role models)
in cricket, soccer and other sports like we have
Viswanathan Anand in chess. In cricket we has Indian
skipper Saurav Ganguly who cannot be idol although he is
the country’s most successful cricket captain. In the
recent past Ganguly has a slow over rate and has been
penalized in numerous occasions he should learn from Ricky
Pointing, the Aussies skipper. Recently has also been
reminded about the slow over-rate by Roshan Mahanam on the
eve of the trie-series in Zimbabwe.
Involvement in
sports can also helpful in building national character,
health and on top of that bring more global sports
companies to set up shops in the country. State-wise sports
academy and increase in sport outlay in the union and state
budget should be made and targets should be evaluated every
six months.
Other than cricket where sponsors have
poured billions of money no sports have attracted money due
to lack of professionalism. In soccer the All India
Football Federation and in hockey Indian Hockey Federation
have become a minister and bureaucrat run body rather than
managed by professionals. The former run by union water
resource minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi and the later by
former director general of Punjab Police P. S Brar.
Can
anything be expected from these two men who are busy in
lobby battle rather than quality and professional approach
in both the games. Both football and hockey have suffered
over the years and we ranked far below the table, which we
were in the sixties.
So, how we can get relief from
these men who should be doing other business rather than
involved in the game which they have never played and has
no will to improve the standards what so ever.
A
parliamentary ordinance should be mooted that professionals
and former players should only be involved in sport in the
country which is the only way to get rid of these brats who
only act as spoil-sport rather than helping things improve.
As in India Parliament is the only vehicle by which we can
improve the dismal state in sports. It is the only way we
can improve in sport culture and performance also.