Ministry mulls graded funding for sports federations
The sports ministry is considering the introduction of a graded system of funding for national federations under which allocations would depend on the level of their compliance with the provisions related to "good governance" in the draft sports bill.
The idea came up during a meeting between Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and representatives of the National Sports Federations to take stock of India's preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"If you are fully compliant with the good governance provisions then you get your entire share but if it is not the case then there could be cuts when such a system comes into effect. But it is only an idea under consideration as of now," a source in the sports ministry told PTI.
"The implementation can greatly improve transparency and performance of the NSFs," the source added.
Though not entirely funded by the ministry, the NSFs are financially supported by it in not just the organisation of national, zonal and international competitions but also the conduct of training camps (both at home and abroad), salaries of coaches and other support staff, besides the allowances and grants given to athletes for individual training.
The draft sports bill, which is expected to be tabled in the Parliament soon, proposes the establishment of Ethics Commissions and Dispute Resolution Commissions to ensure transparency in governance.
It also advocates the constitution of a Sports Regulatory Board for granting recognition to NSFs and ensuring compliance with the highest governance, financial, and ethical standards.
The regulatory board is currently a bone of contention with the Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha saying that it undermines IOA and could be perceived as government interference by the International Olympic Committee.
The minister firmly told federation officials to avoid getting involved in legal battles with athletes. He also highlighted the infighting within some NSFs over election results.
"The elections need to be transparent. People have a habit of going to courts if they have lost the elections, on the other hand there are many individuals who keep sticking to their posts. This should not happen as it creates problems for our athletes," Mandaviya was quoted as saying in a press release by the ministry.
A recent instance of athletes getting affected by litigation was the fiasco in wrestling when the ministry had to step in and clear the way for the grapplers' participation in the world championship.
This was after the federation withdrew from the tournament owing to a court case over its locus standi to manage the sport, prompting the affected wrestlers to protest outside Madaviya's residence.
"If we want to host the 2036 Olympics and improve our medal tally in LA 2028, all stakeholders will have to pool in their resources and efforts. We have to think of the nation first, the athletes represent the country and not an organisation," Mandaviya told the NSF representatives.
An NSF official, who was present in the meeting, said the minister did not mince words while laying down his priorities.
"He said 'we are not here for politics. I have a roadmap, I am not going into the riffle-raffles of the federations and there will be no compromise on the promotion of the game," the official revealed.
"He said he will be very stern and there will be no compromise on the roadmap for the execution of schemes for sportspersons," he added.
Mandaviya also spoke about improving the quality of Indian coaches through international exposure and that a plan was in the works "to realise this goal".
It is also learnt that Mandaviya came down heavily on a Badminton Association of India secretary Sanjay Mishra for suggesting that alternative venues will be explored for the just-concluded India Open after a Danish player, Mia Blichfeldt, complained that the venue in Delhi was unhygienic and left her severely ill.
"Such a statement was not required and this was conveyed, we can always improve but there was no need to be this defensive," the source said.
© 2025