THE decision of the Pakistan Sports Board’s executive committee, to form a committee that will work to change the national sports policy’s clause that restricts the office-bearers from holding office for more than two terms of four years each, is a sad attempt to scuttle the country’s first ever sports policy.
The policy was formulated and announced in 2001.
The PSB’s attempt to change the clause is a sad reminder of how things work in the real world. The meeting was held in Islamabad, on January 26, in which Mohammad Ali Durrani, the Federal State Minister was appointed as the chairman of the committee that will submit its recommendations in 60 days.
The move for changing the most vital and important clause, that of the tenure has come from the Pakistan Olympic Association’s president, Lt.Gen. Syed Arif Hasan. Incidentally, it also came after the Secretary POA, Latif Butt resigned on January 6, who left after holding the office for about 15 years.
Syed Wajid Ali Shah, who was POA president for about three decades, also remains no more in power. But all these former officials, who couldn’t do much for the betterment of sports in the country, might make a comeback, if this clause is successfully passed.
Surprisingly enough, the new POA president has come out with a novel formula of linking the tenure clause to performance for which an evaluation committee will be formed to asses the performance of the officials before they will be allowed to hold the posts for more than two terms of four years.
But who will asses and evaluate the performance of the POA high-ups? These are the same people who have in the past failed to make any positive contribution for the promotions of games in the country, without losing any opportunity to avail a foreign tour.
The POA has year after year, disappointed the nation as it has miserably failed to exert its authority on its affiliated federations, that number well over 30, to commit themselves to develop sports in the country under their own constitutions.
Three generations have suffered due to the apathy of those who controlled the federations. Even their affiliated provincial associations followed their bosses. And now that the sports bureaucracy is trying to bring about changes in the sports policy, it is highly frustrating for those who mean well for the sports in the country.
The decision to limit the tenure of office-bearers to two terms of four years each was a step in the right direction. And those who had already completed the two terms weren’t eligible to seek reelection.
At the time of its announcement, the national sports policy was generally hailed in the country. It was particularly appreciated by the sportspersons who had suffered a lot at the hands of officials, people who built empires on the back of corrupt administration in sports.
These very officials are the people who have been blamed for the decline of sports throughout the country. It was under the new national sports policy that sports mafia at all level was disqualified to hold the high offices as most of them were those who had held offices for more than 20 years.
The POA opposed the tenure clause of the sports policy claiming it was in contravention of the IOC Charter. But its claim was totally wrong as after the Salt Lack Olympic scandal, the IOC took a vital decision of not allowing office-bearers to hold office for more than two terms of four years. Several other decisions were taken to reform the IOC.
Hurdles were created by the POA officials, especially its former high-ups in the implementation of the national sports policy; a case challenging the sports policy has also filed in a Lahore court. However, majority of the national federations and provincial associations held their elections under the new sports policy, except for the 11 federations who are said to be in close allegiance with the former POA secretary, Latif Butt. These did not implement the policy.
The said federations are table tennis, billiards and snooker, basketball, cycling, judo, kabaddi, karate, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling. Their annual grant, for failing to implement the new sports policy, was stopped 18 months ago when the then Director General, Pakistan Sports Board, Brigadier Saulat Abbas. He made all-out efforts to see to it that the policy is implemented. Subsequently, relations between him and the Pakistan Olympic Association deteriorated when the former DG also curtailed the strength of the bloated Commonwealth Games squad and asked the POA to generate funds on its own if it wanted to send a bigger contingent with substandard athletes and joy riders. It was the first time ever in our sports history that the PSB took such a decision to avoid wasteful expenditures.
However, grant to the 11 federations has since been restored. This decision was taken during the last month’s PSB meeting and was considered unwise and a negation of the sports policy by the Islamabad sports bureaucracy.
The move to change the tenure class by linking it with the performance might disfigure the image of the new sports policy. The new POA chief should ensure the implementation of the sports policy instead of changing the tenure clause as it will take us back in the old era. The existing clause will help provide new leadership in several games.
Let the POA get its house in order by making its affiliated federations as well as the provincial Olympic associations to work for the promotion of games in the country. It will be considered a great service to Pakistan sports if the POA, headed by Lt.Gen. Syed Arif Hasan, gets its affiliated units activated on sound lines.
THE decision of the Pakistan Sports Board’s executive committee, to form a committee that will work to change the national sports policy’s clause that restricts the office-bearers from holding office for more than two terms of four years each, is a sad attempt to scuttle the country’s first ever sports policy.
