The Delhi High Court decision to cancel the recognition of all national sports federations granted by the ministry of youth affairs and sports has left games floundering for want of finance.
The court struck down the annual recognition to 54 NSFs, granted by MYAS for disbursement of funds. The government funds are meant to pay for the permanent staff of NSFs as well as support training of athletes for international competitions apart from organising national level competitions.
Essentially the NSFs are left to fend for themselves and, apart from the Board for Control of Cricket in India, there is hardly any that can support their activities without government support. Even Sports Authority of India facilities come at a cost which NSFs can ill afford sans the dole from MYAS.
The legal challenge to the process of annual recognition to NSFs has handed the bureaucrats in MYAS with a fresh stick to get sports officials to toe the line. Recognition has been subject to adherence to the National Sports Code which has several stipulations regarding office bearers and their tenure, etc.
Now that the MYAS has been left with no option but to withdraw recognition granted earlier in the year, the financial year 2020-21 may turn into a blank since it is now up to the ministry to streamline the process yet again and seek legal approval for the same through a special leave petition in the Supreme Court of India.
If the SLP route is indeed opted by MYAS, it will mean that no money can be released without court approval. With a rather lengthy pause imposed on sporting activities of all kinds, it perfectly suits the MYAS to move at its own pace as there is hardly any urgency. The decision of the International Olympic Committee to defer the Tokyo Olympics to July 2021 could be the ideal ruse for holding back on the pay-outs, so to speak, since it hardly affects preparations for major international meets of which there are hardly any looming on the horizon.
It could end up "saving" the government to the tune of over 300 crore rupees as the legal muddle needs to be solved before moving forward. Having tied itself in knots with regards to the sports code, there is no way the MYAS can back-track on the issue.
NSFs could be looking at a bleak future, starved of funds as they would be since the current Covid19 pandemic has left little room for even corporate support for sports activities. Sports persons who have already booked a berth in the Tokyo Games would be the hardest hit since their training is fully financed through government funds.
MYAS needs to find a way out of the mess sooner rather than later, else even reopening sports activities post the lockdown may remain a pipe dream with SAI forced to close its doors even on the elite internationals.
The court struck down the annual recognition to 54 NSFs, granted by MYAS for disbursement of funds. The government funds are meant to pay for the permanent staff of NSFs as well as support training of athletes for international competitions apart from organising national level competitions.
Essentially the NSFs are left to fend for themselves and, apart from the Board for Control of Cricket in India, there is hardly any that can support their activities without government support. Even Sports Authority of India facilities come at a cost which NSFs can ill afford sans the dole from MYAS.
The legal challenge to the process of annual recognition to NSFs has handed the bureaucrats in MYAS with a fresh stick to get sports officials to toe the line. Recognition has been subject to adherence to the National Sports Code which has several stipulations regarding office bearers and their tenure, etc.
Now that the MYAS has been left with no option but to withdraw recognition granted earlier in the year, the financial year 2020-21 may turn into a blank since it is now up to the ministry to streamline the process yet again and seek legal approval for the same through a special leave petition in the Supreme Court of India.
If the SLP route is indeed opted by MYAS, it will mean that no money can be released without court approval. With a rather lengthy pause imposed on sporting activities of all kinds, it perfectly suits the MYAS to move at its own pace as there is hardly any urgency. The decision of the International Olympic Committee to defer the Tokyo Olympics to July 2021 could be the ideal ruse for holding back on the pay-outs, so to speak, since it hardly affects preparations for major international meets of which there are hardly any looming on the horizon.
It could end up "saving" the government to the tune of over 300 crore rupees as the legal muddle needs to be solved before moving forward. Having tied itself in knots with regards to the sports code, there is no way the MYAS can back-track on the issue.
NSFs could be looking at a bleak future, starved of funds as they would be since the current Covid19 pandemic has left little room for even corporate support for sports activities. Sports persons who have already booked a berth in the Tokyo Games would be the hardest hit since their training is fully financed through government funds.
MYAS needs to find a way out of the mess sooner rather than later, else even reopening sports activities post the lockdown may remain a pipe dream with SAI forced to close its doors even on the elite internationals.
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