Mandaviya tells NSFs to prioritise athletes, end factionalism and court battles

NEW DELHI: In a stern message directed at faction-ridden national federations, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday told the NSF heads to develop an athlete-centric approach and focus on the betterment of sportspersons, rather than engaging in court battles and internal squabbling for control over the sports bodies. Several of the country’s NSFs including boxing, equestrian, gymnastics, handball and kabaddi are either functioning under the administrators’ control or have their election cases pending before the courts. Mandaviya said that the govt won’t allow athletes to suffer because of NSFs’ politics, with India aiming to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and 2036 Olympics. He called for the end of ‘bhai-bhatijawaad’ (nepotism) in federations. “I don’t like to interfere in NSFs’ functioning, but it doesn’t mean they will be allowed to deviate from the athlete-centric approach of the govt. I have spoken to various factions in different federations and have told them to end their internal politics to ensure athletes don’t suffer. You have to serve the athletes, and they suffer when there is factionalism. I will not allow that. NSFs have to become responsible,” the minister said. The minister’s remarks came during his address to representatives from at least 40 NSFs who had gathered at the Indira Gandhi (IG) indoor stadium for the launch of DigiLocker facility for athletes. “You (NSFs) will get all support from the ministry. Lekin bhai-bhatijawaad nahi chalega (But nepotism won’t be allowed). Sports administration doesn’t work like this,” he said. The govt is bringing the ‘National Sports Governance Bill 2024’ as a one-step destination to end federations’ politics and bring transparency and accountability in their functioning. The bill has been put in public domain for inviting comments and suggestions of the general public and the stakeholders, as part of the pre-legislative consultation process. Minister launches DigiLocker for athletes With Tokyo Olympics silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and hockey player Jarmanpreet Singh in attendance, Mandaviya on Thursday formally launched the DigiLocker facility for athletes, making it mandatory for NSFs to digitise certificates and other essential documents of sportspersons within the next one year. A cloud-based platform for storage, DigiLocker will help in easy-sharing and verification of athletes’ documents and certificates.