Back on track – creating a road map for India’s bid for the Olympics in the 2030s | 12th December 2022 | UPSC Daily Editorial Analysis

December, 2022 UPSC
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What's the article about?

It talks about the challenges ahead of the newly appointed president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in creating a road map for India in the Olympics in the 2030s.

Relevance:

  • GS2: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation;
  • Essay Paper;
  • Prelims

Context:

  • Former Indian athlete PT Usha appointed as the new chief of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
  • This is in contrast to the patriarchy that pervades many sports hierarchies in India.
  • She becomes the first woman president of the IOA, a post she was elected to unopposed.

PT Usha:

  • She is one of India's greatest athletes, often called the country's “queen of track and field”.
  • She dominated Asian track-and-field events for most of the 1980s, winning 23 medals in all, 14 of which were gold.
  • She is the first woman president of the IOA in its 95-year history and the first Olympian appointed as IOA president.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA):

  • It was established in 1927 as a Non-Profit Organisation under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
  • It is an autonomous body recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
  • It is the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India.
  • It is an affiliated member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Commonwealth Games
  • Federation (CGF), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).

Sports Authority of India (SAI):

  • It is the apex national sports body of India for the development of sport in India.
  • Established in: 1984.
  • Works under: Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Challenges ahead IOA and new President:

  • As the umbrella organisation for sports bodies in India, the IOA must deal with sister associations that have fallen out of favour.
  • Stadiums become white elephants, leased out for housing loan expos or music concerts.
  • Age-fudging and doping are grim realities as young athletes, seeking jobs, chase medals at the zonal, age-group and national levels.
  • Medals often secure a career opening in public sector units, banks and a few corporates and Usha is aware of this.
  • Undue political involvement. Politicians with opposing ideologies join forces to advance in sports organisations in order to obtain fame and other benefits.

Way Forward:

  • In recent times the Government’s leaning on the soft power of sports, the Sports Authority of India’s initiatives and corporate-backed academies have changed the sport landscape in India.
  • India is beginning to aspire for golds beyond the Asian realm and Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra’s exploits in the Olympics are a pointer that the skill-sets are there and if support is provided, medals with better lustre can be secured.
  • With India hoping to bid for the Olympics in the 2030s, Usha and her team are expected to create a road map for that too.



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