National Sports Day special: 5 things to hope for in Indian sports

5. Better sports laws (doping, match-fixing)

Among India’s biggest controversies in the year 2013 was the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the IPL, as Indian players were found to have accepted large sums of money to under-perform in certain matches.

While it was good foresight to be able to spot the offenders, not much action has been taken thereafter, as a drawn-out court battle has not come to a verdict yet. Additionally, there are suggestions that many more such events have gone unnoticed and unpunished, for which Indian authorities need to take a tougher stance.

Another thorn in the flesh of Indian athletics has been the regular occurrence of doping scandals that have tainted the country’s image over the years.

According to reports, more than 250 athletes have failed dope tests carried out by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in the last two years, while the International Association of Athletics Federations recently revealed that India was just behind leaders Russia on the doping list, with 43 athletes currently serving suspension.

While Sports Minister Jitender Singh suggested that NADA had conducted close to 10,000 tests on athletes in the last three years, the need of the hour is the crack down harder on dope offenders, so as to inhibit the usage of banned substances.

Indians have been caught overage on multiple occasions as well, as officials have taken not enough precautions to check with the rules, portraying a lack of professionalism at the highest level.

In a country not known for its athletics glories, the massive number of offenders is embarrassing, to say the least, and better law enforcement and stricter probing will prove to be a deterrent to athletes looking to gain an unfair advantage, and will eventually help India from being shamed again at international events.