Sports Ministry warns National Federations to comply with instructions or bear brunt of no funding
Sports Ministry warns National Federations to comply with instructions or bear brunt of no funding
The Union Sports Ministry has sent a list of instructions to the National Sports Federations with regard to the selection of Indian athletes for international participation, aimed at “upholding the principles of objectivity, fairness and transparency”.
While clarifying that the selection would be the sole responsibility of the National Sports Federations, the government has sought the process to be done in a transparent manner with the policy/criteria formulated in advance.
The selection norms have to be put up on the website of the National Sports Federations and any amendment should be made three months before the selection.
The government has also sought video recording of the selection process apart from the minutes of the selection committee.
An efficient dispute resolution mechanism is expected to be created by every federation, to address the grievances of athletes about their non-selection within a week.
Quite significantly, the government observer or Sports Authority of India (SAI) nominee, will not be part of the selection committee, and would only observe the selection process and submit the report to the Ministry or SAI.
“If the Ministry or SAI is not satisfied with the selection of athletes recommended by the NSF on the grounds of fairness and transparency, the Ministry reserves the right to approve the participation at no cost to the Government”, the Ministry has warned.
The National Sports Federations have also been asked to complete the selection procedure, 45 days prior to the departure of the team so as to ensure the smooth completion of the logistics like acquiring visas, booking tickets, accommodation etc.
Published on Mar 06, 2025
