Sports Authority of India has decided to discontinue its coaching diploma courses in three disciplines - cricket, lawn tennis and soft ball. Plus a new evaluation process for foreign coaches with assessment by trainees being given due consideration.
All are steps in the right direction as SAI moves ahead with getting its house in order from a top heavy organisation to a more hands-on entity moving beyond merely managing infrastructure and facilities.
Not so long ago, SAI was happily labelled the "white elephant" of the ministry of youth affairs and sports. It had indeed become a convenient parking place for bureaucrats seeking an extended stay in big cities, especially the national capital.
Now with streamlining of appointments as well as a rethink on how to push forward in growth of sports as a means of livelihood translates into greater involvement.
Since inception in the early 1980s SAI has been tasked with managing the training and preparation for top sports persons bound for international competitions. Later its role was expanded to providing opportunities to budding young talent to hone their skills at its grossly under-utilised facilities.
Apart from these direct responsibilities, it was also made the conduit for national sports federations, which were given office space in its widespread complexes, for release and monitoring of grants doled out by the government.
Training remains its prime responsibility but along with that SAI has also expanded its role in country-wide talent search through its various schemes from time to time. It had a very successful run with its tribal talent scouting which threw up several promising youngsters that went on to do the country proud.
Bureaucratic wranglings, however, put paid to a lot of its plans as officers were shuffled at the whims and fancy of MYAS. In fact, at one point of time things appeared so badly managed that there was indeed a thought in the ministry corridors if SAI needed to exist at all.
Better sense prevailed and the results are now beginning to show.
Cricket coaching without support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, had little meaning. Same could be said for lawn tennis where there was minimal involvement of the All India Tennis Association. Soft ball as a competitive sport has yet to strike a chord in India. These ground realities meant little as the files kept moving and courses continued rudderless.
Hopefully, all that would now be a thing of the past as SAI appears to be getting its act together with moving courses out of its flagship Patiala centre to other places where facilities could be better utilised.
Adding more seats for its coaching schemes and giving due importance to more popular disciplines like wrestling does give the impression that SAI is getting serious about its role as a sports promoter and facilitator.
SAI centres are spread right across the country and its reach gives it a huge hinterland to tap talent. Its only hoped that the reforms hitherto mooted are allowed to settle in since results cannot show overnight.
Sincere effort is bound to bear fruit and SAI seems to have finally got its heart in the right place!
All are steps in the right direction as SAI moves ahead with getting its house in order from a top heavy organisation to a more hands-on entity moving beyond merely managing infrastructure and facilities.
Not so long ago, SAI was happily labelled the "white elephant" of the ministry of youth affairs and sports. It had indeed become a convenient parking place for bureaucrats seeking an extended stay in big cities, especially the national capital.
Now with streamlining of appointments as well as a rethink on how to push forward in growth of sports as a means of livelihood translates into greater involvement.
Since inception in the early 1980s SAI has been tasked with managing the training and preparation for top sports persons bound for international competitions. Later its role was expanded to providing opportunities to budding young talent to hone their skills at its grossly under-utilised facilities.
Apart from these direct responsibilities, it was also made the conduit for national sports federations, which were given office space in its widespread complexes, for release and monitoring of grants doled out by the government.
Training remains its prime responsibility but along with that SAI has also expanded its role in country-wide talent search through its various schemes from time to time. It had a very successful run with its tribal talent scouting which threw up several promising youngsters that went on to do the country proud.
Bureaucratic wranglings, however, put paid to a lot of its plans as officers were shuffled at the whims and fancy of MYAS. In fact, at one point of time things appeared so badly managed that there was indeed a thought in the ministry corridors if SAI needed to exist at all.
Better sense prevailed and the results are now beginning to show.
Cricket coaching without support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, had little meaning. Same could be said for lawn tennis where there was minimal involvement of the All India Tennis Association. Soft ball as a competitive sport has yet to strike a chord in India. These ground realities meant little as the files kept moving and courses continued rudderless.
Hopefully, all that would now be a thing of the past as SAI appears to be getting its act together with moving courses out of its flagship Patiala centre to other places where facilities could be better utilised.
Adding more seats for its coaching schemes and giving due importance to more popular disciplines like wrestling does give the impression that SAI is getting serious about its role as a sports promoter and facilitator.
SAI centres are spread right across the country and its reach gives it a huge hinterland to tap talent. Its only hoped that the reforms hitherto mooted are allowed to settle in since results cannot show overnight.
Sincere effort is bound to bear fruit and SAI seems to have finally got its heart in the right place!
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