Let’s not make a mockery of the sports law!
View(s):By Subhani Hassimdeen –
Former national football captain and national coach
First of all let me congratulate Yoshitha Rajapaksa and his team for the fantastic performance at the Asian Five Nations Rugby Tournament held in Sri Lanka few weeks ago. Well done! Continue with the same trend in the future as well.
It is a natural phenomenon that politics the world over creates ripples in the otherwise placid calm waters, thus eroding into accepted norms in every field of human activity. Perhaps amongst many other victims of this social scourge sports too have not escaped from its ravaging influence.
One of conspicuous characteristics of politics is to grant favours or give a kind of recognition to people not on the basis of merit but on very personal or political affiliation. This unfortunate symptom has grown into a malignant cancer resulting in the deterioration or decadence of performing standards on the one hand and the dissent and division of its own people on the other end of the scale. Similarly sports while essentially looks non controversial and comparatively non aggressive, turns highly controversial and volatile, as a result of politics creeping into this feathery soft arena.
‘Not all those who have played the sport at the highest level will make good administrators of the respective disciplines’ - File pic
It is common knowledge that in many public appointments the criteria has certainly not been academic.
In fact top positions as Chairman or Director are held by persons without the basic educational qualification, which besides been an eyesore in the social fabric of this country has justifiably given rise to our educated youth to rebel and revolt against both the state and the systems, with such ferocious devastation – loss of place and property – life and limb. It is this treacherous feature that is creeping, nay crawling to our national sports. It is this puerile piece of conjure that has systematically driven away our genuine sportsmen of repute and giving way to mediocrities if not totally gifted pretenders.
Even if one concede that these men of wit are basically honest and with a degree of social stature their blissful ignorance of the technicalities of the sport, makes them totally ineffective in terms of directions and guidance to achieve technical excellence in the sport.
No man or woman who has no technical knowledge of a sport could ever be a genuine promoter of that’s sport, however much of integrity, honesty and social dignity he or she make possess in abundance. While a non technical person necessarily has to experiment or dabble with the issues for long uncertain periods. The person with technical experience and expertise would with the correct diagnosis and therapy succeed in just a flash of time. I am tempted to quote an old German proverb “The best carpenters make the fewest chips”.
In the light of the norms and prerequisites for effective sports administration, the Ministry of Sports must ensure the use of ex- sportsmen or persons with technical competence of an infinity higher grade. To see that no usurper or pretender twists or cheat the existing sports law relating to the qualification to hold office is the salient duty of the Ministry. Mischievous and utterly selfish interpretation of this particular law should never be entertained. If the Ministry goes only by a certificate, to establish that a person has played the sport, the very purpose of the qualifying law will be defeated. Certificates are in fact the cheapest commodity in this country – be it medical, legal, social, educational, religious or sports. It’s not only an open secret, but a practicing norm in our society.
What the Ministry should do is to appoint a national technical sports committee and amongst many other functions it could perform, screening of candidates for positions in the National Governing Sports Bodies could be one. For example, if a person has initially played for his school or club at a higher level in major school or club level tournaments – not at inter house and inter department level. His or her name should appear in at least a college or club magazine, or in a souvenir write up or still better in some news paper or a team photograph, if he or she had represented the national team the proof would be much easier. However, if for some mysterious reason one cannot produce such national evidence, the committee can put the candidate to the acid test of performing the skills of the sports
No man or woman who has played the sport at any reasonable level finds it difficult to perform such skills even at a very advanced age. Such a person may be a little slow in motion or reflexes but the techniques would remain correct. This is the only way that we can keep the wolves from the sheep literally. It would be indeed tragic for both the country and the sport if the Ministry of sports under various pressure or other limitations and restraints, cannot identify the truth from the lie – the fact from the fiction – the erect from the slant – the straight from the crocked and the genius from the pretentious what we expect is a prudent Ministry who can see things truly as they are and act without fear or favour.
I am not saying that all those who have played the sport at the highest level will make good administrators of the respective disciplines.
Far from it! However, an ex- international sportsman who in addition has administrative experience, could undoubtedly be the ideal choice, far ahead of the official with hardly any technical experience or knowledge of the sport, it is not the social stature and standing that matter, but in-depth knowledge and experience in the subject that count.
When late K.B. Ratnayake who represented the Anuradhapura Football League for a long period became the Hon. Minister of sports in the early nineteen seventies he realized that sports is purely a technical subject and that is why he introduced appropriate legislation to ensure that only those who have actively participated in the respective sport at the major level of competition shall only qualify to hold the position of President or Secretary of the National Association.
The Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake, When he was the Minister of Youth affairs and sports in the P.A. Government in 1994, mentioned at an interview that the P.A. manifesto emphatically states that no one will be allowed to hold office in any sport body unless he or she has played at the national level and this rule will come into effect under his leadership. He further stated: If there is any indiscipline apparent among the participants it is attributable to a weak administration, i.e. those holding office who have not played the game at the top level.
This prudent and pertinent law is observed today more in the breach. Some, who have not kicked a ball properly, are at the top position of the Football Controlling Body. In the light of the norms and pre – requisites for effective sports administration the Ministry of Sports must ensure the use of ex- sportsmen or persons with technical competence of an infinitely higher grade. To see that no usurper or pretender twists or cheat the existing sports law relating to the qualification to hold office is the salient duty to the Ministry. Mischievous and utterly selfish interpretation of this particular law should never be entertained. Of the Ministry goes only by a certificate or licence to establish that a person has played the sport the very purpose of the qualifying law will be defeated. Either we implement the sports law strictly or throw it to the wall.
It is my sincere request and hope that the incumbent Minister of sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage will take into account these facts and not be mislead by the officials who paint a totally wrong picture.
Its simple mathematics if an individual holds office in the sports he know best, then he could concentrate and do a better job, otherwise it’s a daunting task with nothing done methodically and the respective sport suffer.
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus