Putting Sri Lanka sports on a war footing!
Tough times assure better days, if the drought of events is taken in a positive mind - Pic by M.A. Pushpakumara
The COVID-19 pandemic has offered the opportunity to do some reclusive soul searching in many spheres. TV talk shows and social media overkill have all covered the need to move beyond the critical but limited confines of health management and consider a broader perspective of economic imperatives, simply because one can take down another. A visiting Malaysian economic advisor made the oft heard comment, focus on your strengths, he said, go after that reality; pursue a strict comparative leadership position!
While an expected meltdown across the world will not shield Sri Lanka sufficiently to go on its merry way, it may be a logical overall approach to the New Normal, to also apply this stratagem to the Arena of Sports, without simply coming out of the woods and carrying on with business as usual.
Because we have done so for years, every government we form provides for a Ministry of Sports (MOS), sometimes coupled with subjects such as Youth or Education or even Tourism. All of us know only too well the jocular nature of our Ministerial combinations on top of which we appoint Ministers who cannot fully grasp the difference between a baseball bat and a cricket bat! Perhaps the time has come to completely restructure Sports Management in this country and downsize the monolithic departments that attempt to rule everything from physical science to high-performance training; often to create an avenue of personal aggrandizement or downright myopic ignorance.
There are two principal apex bodies for Sports in Sri Lanka. One is the MOS and the other is the NOC – the National Olympic Committee, the appendage of IOC, an almost untouchable entity! Both oversee all recognised sports (and some!) and both display power and control running the affairs of Sports Bodies, whether one likes it or not. So how do you put these two engines to work in unison and what will it take. One point of view is that the government must recognise that it is not quite necessary to maintain a whole army of atrophied muscle within the confines of MOS to run sports.
The other is that the NOC and therefore the IOC must realise that while International clout is exercised in the name of sports above politics, they must also introduce rules that govern the institution and bring direct benefits to the host nation. When NOC officials conjure and manipulate various diabolical methods to remain in office no matter what, it clearly reveals the ulterior motives for doing so and this must be put to rest by limiting the terms of office, however successful a regime may appear to be; two four year terms as a maximum term should suffice!
So how do these twins work together; split personalities with similar objectives. It will indeed be interesting to see if a PPP can be forged at the highest levels, where the GOSL offers a JV proposal to IOC/NOC whereby the functions can be shared between the two entities. One witnessed something of a circus between the institutions when the last SAG took place but there is scope to create a seamless organisation that oversees the development and progress of the various sports that are registered with the authority at present. Broadly speaking, if the MOS can confine itself to a Regulatory role, then the NOC can be assigned the Performance role, both jointly accountable for overall standards and deliverables. The National Sports Associations (NSA) will of course continue to manage their particular sport and accept responsibility for its development and periodic results.
The concept requires greater in-depth study and structure but one could argue that it is not merely a pipe-dream. If such a radical course of action can be envisioned and pursued, then what is natural to imagine is how National Sports should be run? Again, as stated before, one must focus and prioritize; what Sports should we excel in and promote in the first place?
A three tier-approach, with A for the top-10, B for the next 20 and C for the rest, will be a quick start! Once that is agreed, an Annual Plan over a three to five year period must be submitted by all NSA’s which will be logged into a National Sports Portal (NSP) and monitored from then onwards. KRA’s and KPI’s must be established for each NSA and the NSA Ex-Co held liable for delivery based on a Budget/Activity axis which is signed off along with the Annual Plan!
Often, NSA’s tend to rely on the MOS or NOC for funds and falls back on the vague notion that if funds are not allocated, results may not be expected. It must be made clear in all instances, that No Fund means No Sport; state fund allocations if any, shall be made on a formula based on the three-tier approach adopted! In that somewhat dictatorial manner, Sri Lanka will put its money where its mouth is and invest only on sports that produce agreed results!
The NSP plays a vital role because of its realm of transparency. By permitting this openness, any interested party and the public in general can see how a sport is being managed and how it performs at the click of a button. Quarterly reviews by the MOS/NOC will also be posted on-line so that one can escalate responsibility to the highest levels of sports management in the country. The NSP will also recognize National Sportsmen and Sportswomen who are rated and remunerated as such via the NSA’s. This would produce a professional status in all those selected sports which will also attract contractual obligations. These are the cadres who will represent Sri Lanka from time to time and carry the National Flag to International Meetings and Events.
This discourse is a broad outline and will need to take into consideration, many other factors. Quality training centres, special overseas training, international coaches, sports education, and a host of ancillary facilities all bear careful configuration and introduction. Overseas funds offered to the local affiliate (NSA) must come under each individual budget and be subject to strict audits not only in terms of pure accounting but also evaluated by performance and results.
The MOS/NOC must also enter into a covenant with the Ministry of Education (MOE) with regard to all school based Junior Sports people. It is common knowledge that modern sports development starts at a young age and thus one cannot divorce National Sports Development from its young talent. How the subject Ministers work in tandem thus proves important. Indeed a Ministry of Sports, Education and Youth can be envisaged but that is another subject.
The pundits are on record that our nation must make that quantum leap into the future. Many are the social media commentaries about the notion that we don’t need 225 legislators; a small compact Cabinet of Ministers will do the job better, anytime is the vision! Sports must be drawn into that vortex. It can well afford to lead the charge and demonstrate that perennial Sri Lanka slogan, We Can!