There won?t be any medals at the end of this game that is fiercely being fought within the government on the country?s sports policy.
The ongoing battle between sport minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has taken a fresh turn with the latter writing a stinging letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and all other members of the Union Cabinet urging them to reject the ?comprehensive national sports policy 2008?. The matter was listed last week for the Cabinet?s approval, but has been deferred since Aiyar is abroad.
The sports minister, arguing for a revision in the sports policy to develop the area, has proposed a new policy which suggests some significant changes including focussing on developing talent at a much younger age, creating international standard infrastructure and involvement of all stakeholders.
What, however, got Kalmadi?s goat was Aiyar?s efforts to bring in levels of transparency in sporting activities by proposing the setting up of a regulatory authority that will monitor sporting bodies of the country. Kalmadi was successful in leading a campaign against the setting up of the authority on the grounds that it was against the Olympic charter and diluted the independence of sporting activities. Aiyar, is understood to have made changes in the policy-dropping the idea of an authority but proposing that federations exercise ?self regulation?.
It was this new changes in the sports policy that has led to Kalmadi, who is also the chairman of the orgnising committee of the commonwealth games, going ballistic and accusing Aiyar of trying to play a different ballgame.
In his latest offensive, Kalmadi has now taken the plea that the need of the hour is not the sports policy, but on focussing energies on preparations for the Beijing Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. ?With just 200 days to go for Commonwealth Youth games 2008 and 900 odd days to go for Commonwealth Games 2010, it is more critical to put in place a comprehensive, integrated action plan focussed on enhancing India?s medal tally rather than diverting attention and resources in proposing a new policy,? Kalmadi has said.