Bill to regulate sport including cricket gets new life

Sports min Jitender Singh, while condeming the shameful incidents had urged for greater transparency in sports, sports bodies

With the BCCI - IPL cricket saga unfolding in the backdrop of the IPL ‘spot fixing’ scam leaving sports lovers shocked and the reputation of the “gentleman’s game” in tatters, the controversial Sports bill which had fallen prey to political interests is once again back in the limelight. It was Sports minister Jitender Singh who, while condemning the “shameful” incidents that had overtaken the game, had urged for “greater transparency” in sports and sports bodies. He had said that to inject “transparency” into sports and sports associations, the National Sports Development bill 2013 (which had been shelved) was being revisited.

The bill seeks to put in place compulsory elections, 25 % representation of sportsmen in Executive committees, ethics committee in line with the Ethics Code of the International Olympic Committee, a Sports Dispute Apellate Tribunal and most importantly will work towards keeping out conflict of interest. In effect, it aims at making the game more responsive and responsible to sports men and sports.  
It was during Singh’s predecessor Ajay Maken’s tenure as sports minister that the Sports bill was first envisaged in 2011 and covered all National Sports Federations. However with “controversial” clauses like fixing the age and tenure of office bearers, a gamut of politicians who headed cash rich sports federations including the BCCI opposed the bill describing it as an attack on their autonomy. The bill never passed muster in the Cabinet.  

Sources say that the reconstituted Drafting committee is still “deliberating” on the inclusion of the BCCI under the ambit of the Sports bill. However it is unlikely that “political interests” will manage this time around to again hijack the bill and keep out cricket from its purview, add sources.

 
The reconstituted Drafting Committee under retired Justice Mukul Mudgal (who had drafted the first draft also) has been consulting a wide array of experts including sportspersons.

The present bill while retaining the essential elements of the earlier bill ie. fixing the age  of office bearers to 70 years, not more than two to three terms as office bearer, and 25 % representation of sportsmen in Executive committees also brings in several new elements.

For the first time it proposes a Sports Dispute Apellate Tribunal for easier redressal of disputes; an election Commission that will ensure elections in these bodies are held by neutral bodies.

The committee is due to submit its report by June 30 to the Sports ministry. Aspects of the bill like the proposal for the Ethics Committee will be then discussed with the IOC to ensure that it is at par with international standards.  

It is significant that the recent IPL saga, exposed how prominent politicians like Arun Jaitley, Rajeev Shukla, Sharad Pawar, all members of the BCCI, despite tremendous public opinion did/ could do little to remove the BCCI chief N Srinivasan.

Speaking to Business Standard Kirti Azad former cricketer and BJP member of Parliament without mincing his words describes the BCCI as the “Brotherhood for Control of Cricket in India.” He adds, “the brothers being Jailtley, Pawar, Shukla, united in corruption, united in alliances and united in resignations.”

Azad says, “In this present climate when the game of cricket is in such disrepute it will be difficult for the BCCI to object their inclusion under the proposed Sports bill”.

Referring to the earlier Sports bill when “the fiery Ajay Maken was done in by how own Cabinet colleagues Farooque Abdullah, ( heads the Jammu and Kashmir cricket association) Sharad Pawar ( chief of Mahrashtra cricket association) Praful Patel ( heads the Football Federation) they opposed it for their own vested interests.”

Apart from the diktats of the Sports bill that sports federations would have to abide by, it would also be incumbent upon them to give disclosures under the Right to Information, something that cricket bodies have been resisting on the plea that they are not funded by the government. However, if one were to go by the “indirect funding” in the form of tax concessions, play grounds and sports stadia at concessional rates- the BCCI would then arguably be beneficiary of government funding.   

The challenge as most concede is to bring in cricket, which is easily the highest income grosser in sports under the ambit of the Sports bill. All eyes will now be on politicians to see the role that they play whether to sabotage once gain or facilitate an attempt at cleansing sports in the country.

Features of the Sports BILL

25% of members of executive committee to be sportspersons

Sports Dispute Apellate Tribunal

Election Commission

Ethics committee