Rathore puts players on a pedestal

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 4

The Indian sports fraternity is delighted with the appointment of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore as the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. 

That’s understandable for the sportsman-turned-politician knows firsthand what a sportsperson goes through while chasing his dreams, and what needs to be done to lift Indian sport from the depths of mediocrity. The Minister understands there are overwhelming expectations from him to change the current system, marred by red-tapism and bureaucratic hurdles, into the one that has sportspersons at its centre, and helps them achieve excellence on the global stage.

On Monday, his first day in office, the 47-year-old sent out a strong message to the Ministry officials, saying “from now onwards, there would be only one VIP, and that’s a sportsperson”.  “The philosophy of this Ministry would be 'samman’ (respect) and ‘suvidha’ (facilities). Respect for every athlete and facilities for every player representing the country,” Rathore said.

Attitude needs to change

“The environment and attitude of this Ministry needs to be changed. There is only one VIP from now on, and that’s a sportsperson, nobody else. This attitudinal shift is required and we’ll achieve that. 

“The aim of this Ministry would be to create an environment in which sportspersons are treated as the first citizens of this country. This Ministry has to work 24x7 because when an athlete is preparing, every single day of the week, month and year counts. This is a service ministry and we provide service to sportspersons,” he added.

Rathore, the first Indian shooter to win a medal (in double trap) at the Athens Olympics in 2004, indicated that the long-awaited revised draft of the National Sports Development Bill (known as Sports Code) and Sports Fraud Bill could see the light of the day during his tenure.  

“In sport, there’s an important connect known as fans. For these fans, the sporting icons shouldn’t resort to cheating or unfair practices to win. Anything that gives primacy to fans and players will be taken care of,” he said.

“We’ll implement everything that improves Indian sports. I am taking note of which schemes are being run and how we can improve them. I’ll also see how we can improve the delivery system and management of various institutions (read sports federations). The effort would be to ensure that whenever sportspersons visit the Ministry, their problems are resolved.”

First day in office

Rathore, who’s become the first sportsperson to head the Ministry, hit the ground running on his first day in office. He held a high-level meeting with the secretaries and senior Ministry officials for close to an hour. According to a Ministry official, Rathore enquired about the Sports Bill, Olympics Task Force and the Empowered Steering Committee. “The Minister held a special briefing on the Sports Bill and Task Force. He wanted to understand the progress made as far as the implementation of the Bill is concerned. He also asked about the status of the recommendations made by the Task Force,” the official added. 

While spelling out his philosophy and priorities as the Sports Minister, Rathore turned nostalgic and recalled his own visits to the Ministry as a sportsperson. “I still remember how I had to take permission on paper at the reception to enter the premises and meet the officials. It all started for me then. So I know what hardships players have to face.”

What Rathore needs to do...  

• Ensure preparations for the CWG, Asian Games and 2020 Tokyo Olympics are heading in the right direction
• Immediate implementation of the recommendations made by the Abhinav Bindra-led Olympics Task Force 
• Introduction of the revised draft of the National Sports Development Bill (Sports Code) to bring accountability in the functioning of the sports federations
• Set in motion the process for the introduction of the Sports Fraud Bill to curb match-fixing and other such unfair practices
• Expedite the process from the Sports Ministry’s end to bring a legislation criminalising doping
• Bring more international events such as FIFA U-17 World Cup to India 
• Deal with IOA strictly so that the National Games can take place as scheduled
• Build more High Performance Centres like NIS, Patiala 
• Streamline TOP scheme and ensure the fundings reach the deserving athletes in time