COLUMN / In focus

The rot in Indian sports

Apart from a few shades of individual brilliance and a few victories by our cricket and hockey teams Indian sport has never been anything noteworthy to write home about. In fact we reached a new nadir not too long ago when our hockey team failed, for the first time in the history of the sport to qualify for the Olympics, a shame for a country that still holds the records for the highest number of Olympic golds in hockey. Yet when it comes to scandals and scams our achievements are such that no other country can hold a candle to us.
All hell broke loose recently when a player in the women’s hockey team, Ranjita Devi levelled charges of sexual harassment against the team coach, Olympian M M Kaushik. She was supported by no less than thirty others in the hockey camp. While Kaushik who was a member of the Indian hockey team that won the Gold in the Moscow Olympics flatly denied the charges the hockey federation has found enough credibility in the accusations as to warrant an enquiry. Meanwhile Kaushik has stepped down vowing to return after clearing his name. The revelations in the media on the issue have given ample scope for any sports lover to believe that all is not well in women’s hockey and the players most of whom hail from very modest backgrounds and have a very heavy stake in the sport as a means of livelihood have been exploited ruthlessly. In what could well be a case of the fence eating the crop, a coach who should ensure the safety and security of the wards placed under his care has allegedly chosen to turn predator demanding his pound of flesh. Play along with me and your career will go places whether you possess the talent or not, spurn my advances and you could well burn your boats and find yourself out on your ear, seems to be the message. Close on the heels of the hockey mess has come a startling broadside by Olympic bronze medalist Karnam Malleswari who has accused the weightlifting coach Ramesh Malhotra of demanding sexual favours from junior women lifters. Malhotra too has stepped down but not before accusing Malleswari on several counts including avoiding dope tests etc. The vulnerability of young women, prodigiously talented embarking on careers in sports has never been more pronounced as it is now. It is evident that the mandarins who control sports including the coaches, the officials, the politicians who inevitably are at the head of the administration all find in these young girls an easy prey to sate their unbridled lust. For every Ranjita who makes bold revelations and stakes her career by coming out in the open there might be many who are unable to seek justice who continue to be exploited by their coaches and trainers but prefer to bear it in the interest of advancing their careers by a few more years. This is a despicable situation and the Sports Ministry has the duty to get to the bottom of these issues and ensure that coaches who are appointed for training women are above board and are not men who consider molesting trainees as fringe benefits of their job.
 As if these allegations that have given the country a bad name in the international firmament are not enough comes news of the widespread corruption in matters related to the Commonwealth Games which India is all set to host in October in New Delhi. The skeletons that keep tumbling down the cupboards seem to indicate that in every segment there has been embezzlement of mammoth proportions. A few heads might roll but it would only be the small fry that are sacrificed. The big fish (read politicians or those with political backing) will continue to escape unscathed. The rot in Indian sports continues and this sad story can only find a solution if righteous men and women take over the reins of Indian sport. No politician should be allowed within miles of the administration as they are the biggest negative influence in sports as everywhere else.

C. V. Aravind
is a Bangalore-based freelance journalist.

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