What’s the story?
The Olympic Task Force, set up by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, endorsed the formation of an 'Empowered Steering Committee' for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Monday. Indian badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, member of the Task Force, told PTI, “We put up a few pointers during our meeting and the main recommendation was to set up an empowered steering committee to take charge of the next Olympics.
“We have been meeting at regular intervals. And, besides 2020, of course the discussions are also being held for 2024 and 2028. We debated several issues and brought to the table ideas that can eventually be implemented to bring in greater synergy among all the stakeholders and supplement the efforts being made by different segments.”
Panel member Abhinav Bindra, India’s lone individual Olympic gold medalist, said: “The task is not easy, but we have worked hard and made recommendations that we feel are necessary to deliver some tangible results in the short-term. And while doing so, we have ensured that their practicality has not been ignored.”
The context
The task force, comprising of eight members, met Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Monday to deliberate upon a wide range of issues related to India’s preparations for the next three Olympics. Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha was the spokesperson of the committee.
Apart from the three former sportspersons, the other five members of the task force are head of School Sports Promotion Board Om Pathak, hockey coach S Baldev Singh, GL Khanna (Dean of Exercise and Physiology at Manav Rachna International University), Times Group Online chief editor Rajesh Kalra and Sports Authority of Gujarat Director General Sandeep Pradhan.
The heart of the matter
The report titled "Preparation of 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games" makes it clear that all recommendations should be applicable in equal measure to Para-athletes as well. The Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) will have complete financial autonomy and will alone be responsible for overseeing adequate preparations for Tokyo.
The ESC will work in tandem along with an internationally acclaimed High-Performance Director (HPD) to provide a platform for bringing out the best from the potential medal hopefuls in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Salary cap will be removed for Indian coaches and support staff.
What’s next?
Pradhan Mantri Gold Card will be issued to the elite athletes and their coaches which will make them eligible for emergency quota in air/train/bus tickets. There will be a special cell within ESC taking care of all the logistical issues for athletes.
Sports Science will be given utmost priority, ensuring all athletes can access the latest of technologies, from medicine to nutrition advice and anti-doping. Sportspersons would also be able to talk to a 24x7 NADA helpline should any doubt arise on the kind of supplements they can use.
Author’s take
The task force will introduce some much needed practical changes and a professional set up to manage sports. The approach is going to be athlete-centric, coach-led and system driven. It will eradicate most of the hurdles in Indian sports.
