A cry for a Sports Coalition; rhetoric or rectitude!
Officials must work in unison in the name of sports
The plea comes from none other than the Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC) itself, someone who has a ringside view of what takes place in our national sports arena. Very often, these are grand statements befitting special occasions and no further. All well-meaning chants are made and quickly forgotten or shabbily administered, so much so that all energies are dissipated even before the destined events come to pass.
Even more worrisome are the political overtones that invade most sports programmes; the weird ‘what’s in it for me’ syndrome of people in box seats of power!
A collective coalition of the NOC and the Department of Sports Development (DSD) of the Ministry of Sports (MoS) are two pivotal apex organisations. Add to that the National Sports Council (NSC), the National Sports Selection Committee (NSSC), and the Sports Division of the Ministry of Education (MoE); possibly the National Institute of Sports Medicine (NISM) and you have all the key elements that constitute the organisational and accountable factions of a grand sports coalition. Add to that, the principal private sector sponsors and you have a virtual think-tank of a sports engine that can and must drive the fortunes of our sports dreamland.
So, do we form another conglomerate or just one more high powered committee or do we expect the various units listed above to work in seamless unison? That is a tough question. As it is, you see very powerful personalities striding the corridors of the MoS and of the NOC but do those purposeful steps translate into concerted actions with very specific targets of expectation? One summary statement is the lack of accountability at this apex level as well as the transparency that is still missing in this coalition that operates loosely at present.
All are powerful but only few take responsibility as we saw in the aftermath of the last Olympics! Who ultimately is responsible for the overall results? What happens if we don’t achieve the expected results? Do we merely offer excuses and carry on as we have done; keep our titles and our positions intact and move on to the next phase? Tough questions and no easy answers. As one harassed official said, what do you expect from me; do you want me to run the race myself?
As one avid Letter of the Editor suggested in a recent daily newspaper, our sports bodies must revamp, he says. The letter calls for an examination of sports structures and interestingly draws attention to the NOC itself! Perhaps, too harsh a judgement but certainly a public sentiment that runs through the veins of sports lovers. Democratic institutions are supposed to run independently without the strong arm of government decree and therein lies a labyrinth of intrigue and skullduggery.
Democracy is not perfect but it is the best form of governance, is a cliché touted in all facets of modern society. But, that freedom also imposes great responsibility is often a forgotten paradigm! This is plain to see in most National Federations (NFs) and there is no doubt that, that very somnolence reaches the higher echelons and permeates throughout our sports organisations. High office is a passport for travel, period! There have been organisations where its officials probably need a visa to enter Sri Lanka because they were virtually foot-loose in foreign climes. International organisations and sports principals cater to this infinite conjoint interdependence. So, the incentivised formula is clear and greatly affects the meritorious benefits that coalitions must bring!
It is very clear that the two major events on the radar is the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in 2022; less than nine months away. Already the number of slots are known and the past masters know only too well, how the cookie will crumble! Who must go for what, is no doubt already fermenting in the inner sanctums. But do we know who the athletes are? In 2024, the Paris Olympics will be on the cards. The same mantra will be played and ponderous statements made. Can we therefore bring to the public domain a declaration of expectancy for these games, in terms of medals, something that is now top-of-our mind and incessantly prescribed by the minister himself! Let the coalition implant that declaration in banner headlines in their prestigious institutional facades and let us then, all put our shoulder to the wheel! Rectitude will then come to play!