Identifying the culprits at the roots of India's sporting malpractices

A lot has been said and written about why India is not good at sports. And the single unifying point in all such discussions is “corruption”.

Since the launch of Sportskeeda in 2009, we have interacted with a lot of young athletes, and many of them are disgruntled, with no hope left in the system. We constantly get flooded with reports of unfair selection and corrupt practices that hamper the success of promising athletes. And it goes without saying that facing such adversities so early in life does not bode well for a young athlete.

Top Complaints we receive

1) Players above the age limit play in the junior teams

2) No trials are held before selecting a team

If you ask us, a deserving young athlete not being selected because of reasons like these is an example of harassment of the highest order. It’s an abuse of his spirit, it’s an insult to the sport. In all fairness, it should be a punishable offense.

Junior coaches/ selectors know they can get away with these kinds of malpractices because:

a) these incidents are usually on such a small scale that the media doesn’t care to investigate; and

b) you can’t file a police complain for not being selected.

This issue cannot be solved by micro-managing or individually policing each incident. It can only be solved by a system of principles, rules, ethics and values that all coaches are duty-bound to follow.

Perhaps like in the police force, coaches should be made to take an oath when they are hired, an oath that goes something like this:

I will never select a team without conducting proper trials.

I will always check the age documents carefully before selecting a team.

Team will be selected based on performance only!

We at Sportskeeda may not possess the tools to change the system. But we can certainly do our bit by helping unearth incidents where corruption has taken place.

And this page right here is where all the unearthing will take place. We ask you to report any incident of corruption you have come across in the junior sports circuit in India, by posting below in the comments.

These comments might only serve as allegations at this stage, but they have the ability to ruffle quite a few feathers, right up to the Indian Olympic Association (yes they can!).

We are fully confident that not only will this page send shivers down the spines of dishonest coaches and players, it will also help the wronged athletes find some much-needed solace.

Here’s to a clean and corruption-free sports system in India!