Has the Ministry of Sports lost direction?
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Sri Lanka spikers had a Cuban coach, but couldn't retain their silver medals
A recent newspaper report that the Ministry of Sports intends to stop the recruitment of foreign coaches, smacks like the pot calling the kettle black! While it is true that expected results were not realized at SAG, attributing that failure only to foreign coaches, is somewhat foolhardy to say the least. While it is true that the Volleyball Team failed to come up with an expected Gold and Football coached by a local sage, barely raised the dust in Nepal, these results would have been a good moment for a far reaching reflection by the ultimate repository of our national sports, the Ministry of Sports itself!
Clearly, there are sports that benefit from foreign coaches if the recruitment is proper and beneficial; not just a white face to make the discipline look superior. There have been abysmal failures in the past but good experienced coaches make a world of difference when the engagement is thorough and well-conceived, with the local management firmly in charge of the deliverables. So, it is apparent that a knee jerk reaction will not help sports in general and some key sports in particular.
Cricket will be the first big challenge or will it be said that cricket is exempt? Then comes Rugby and other sports like Badminton. These sports have benefited from foreign coaches whose biggest advantage is the intimate knowledge they have of international standards as well as competitive strengths and weaknesses. No amount of preparation could replace one’s ignorance of the competition.
As important, is the ability to adjust quickly in a competitive situation and not merely succumb to a tough circumstances? Good foreign coaches do their homework well and are generally adept in facing challenges. What most local coaches lack is that depth of experience in facing up to nations that are investing in its sports performances. Take for instance the lowly Maldives who took Sri Lanka to the cleaners in a football encounter a few years ago, with a 10 – 0 drubbing, that took the sheen off our team forever. Neither did the FFSL or the MOS do anything about it, other than burying their head in the sand.
Methinks, it is the MOS that must search its soul from within! The amiable and popular Ministry Secretary who is no stranger to the well-appointed Race Courses anctums, must help the government take a good hard look at its sports portfolio. Without looking for a scapegoat, what it must do is a thorough analysis of its structure and systems. In today’s context, there is no need for a monolith of staff layers who don’t know a hurdle from a girdle. This is fundamental. It must undertake a restructure that recognises each sport on its merit; perhaps a grading system linked to funding, could put money where the mouth is! It must then appoint men and women of caliber as Ministry Representatives for each sport at Asst. Director Level. These persons must be charged with KRA’s and KPI’s that demand total accountability for each sport they manage. Monthly or Quarterly performance reports would then clearly expose the state of the sport and if these reports are placed in an IT portal, absolute transparency would eliminate to a great degree the balderdash that is dished out after a debacle!
No one is belittling the idea of training local coaches. In fact every foreign coach must be given an understudy who will take over after a limited period of training and development. Nor is it wise for the MOS to get directly involved in running administrations and events such as the National Sports Festival. They must leave that to the National Associations and take on the role of regulators, closely monitoring standards against international and regional records and benchmarks. Imposing their will on NA’s will only have a negative effect for the MOS is not geared nor should they attempt to run sports bodies themselves!
What the MOS should do is to run a disciplined operation, setting annual targets and verifying performance on a regular basis. They can then come down hard on NA’s that do not perform and engage the International Bodies in rectifying shortfalls and failures so as to maintain the protocols that are mandated by IOC and other principal World Sports Organisations. The President is pushing an efficiency quotient in many areas and Sports may not be a priority yet, but once he gets round to it, the secret may lie in the premise; be effective rather than efficient!