Even as one arm of the government has appointed a team of 10 IAS officers to solve the Commonwealth Games? coordination problems, another arm is playing spoilsport. The heavy industries and public enterprises minister has ordered PSUs to withhold funds in ?the context of the controversies surrounding the Games?. NTPC, India?s largest power generation utility, is demanding a government audit of the Rs 20 crore already released before it lets go of the pending Rs 30 crore tranche. The Union railways minister says that the Rs 100 crore she promised will only be given out once the Games? expenditure is credibly verified. PGCIL is withholding Rs 10 crore. By contrast, we haven?t heard any protest from private sponsors. The obvious question is whether the likes of Coca-Cola, Hero Honda and Tata Motors are less clued into branding games than the aforementioned PSUs.
The answer comes in two parts. First, it appears obvious that whereas the PSUs were more or less corralled into sponsoring the Games, the private players came on board in a much more independent fashion. It is not the case that many state-controlled firms were not roped in to sponsor the Beijing Olympics, for example. It is not even the case that mega sports events?including the Commonwealth Games from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur?are not hammered by naysayers, especially in their last laps. But insofar as all such events centre on the national brand, the public sector usually plays ball. Whatever may have been the compulsions for, say, NTPC or the railways to sign on at the start, there is little excuse for them dilly-dallying at the finish line. Second, the likes of Coca-Cola are really seasoned sports agents. Through the Beijing Olympics, the global giant spent an estimated $70 million despite lots of concerns being expressed even then about whether the investment was worth the returns. The company?s argument: the great China game was worth it. The company remains committed to the Commonwealth Games too and it has played in much bigger branding leagues than, say, NTPC. Advertising annals are full of examples of how advertisers ditch sinking ships. Accenture, which had built an entire campaign around the ?Go on, be a Tiger? motto speedily got off the golf treadmill when the player?s image took a hit. On the flip side, the likes of Nike?a more substantive sports sponsor?stayed on because they play for the long haul. NTPC et al are not only showing short-sightedness, but also amateur credentials in the sports arena.