Nachappa & Co launch initiative to ensure associations are not run by politicians and bureaucrats
A group of former sportspersons has started a campaign to challenge the existing power structure of Indian sports administration.
Clean Sports India, an advocacy group started by, among others, former equestrian champion BVP Rao and international athletes Ashwini Nachappa and Reeth Abraham, held a press conference on Wednesday to announce the start of their campaign.
CSI was launched in New Delhi on June 23 but its first public programme will be an ‘awareness run’ on July 25 at Kanteerava Stadium; the run will be used to engage people on issues of Indian sports administration.
Convener and former international heptathlete Reeth Abraham said CSI’s primary objective was to ensure sports bodies were run not by politicians and bureaucrats but by sportspersons. A second objective would be to ensure Indian sport was dope-free.
“We are trying to make a difference to the way sport is being governed,” Abraham said. “Those of us involved with Clean Sports India are international athletes; we retired in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since those days. The same people handling sports today were in charge even when we were kids. The time has come for us to make a difference.”
Clean Sports India will put pressure on sports administrators by acting as a civil society and lobby group, and campaign with the
public, media and sports ministry.
National convener BVP Rao said Clean Sports India would train sportspersons in administration and seek to become part of the decision-making process. Rao referred to his experience in Kosovo, where he was part of a UN project to help set up the sports infrastructure.
“We will use the same methods here,” he said. “We will organise classes for sportspersons to train them in running an organisation. All sports in India are being run by politicians and bureaucrats who have no passion for the sport. The only solution is to get former sportspersons to become administrators.”
Apart from awareness runs, CSI plans to conduct exhibition events and matches. It is building funds by opening membership to the public. The awareness run is on July 25, Kanteerava Stadium, and will be over 4km, 6.30am onwards. For details, log on to: www.cleansportsindia.org.
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