Ahmedabad, Jan 30 (PTI) Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) President Adille Sumariwalla on Thursday alleged that the courts are responsible for the destruction of sports in India.
Speaking at the International Olympics Research Conference organised at the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in Gandhinagar, Sumariwalla claimed if a Sports Bill which has arbitration clause in it is not brought in a month, most of sports federations will cease to exist.
"?You need (sports) governance, yes. But the governance should be moving in the direction of development of sports, not just policing. If it is just policing, then you have a problem," Sumariwalla claimed, while participating in a panel discussion with Commonwealth Games Federation chief Chris Jenkins and CEO Katie Sadlier.
"A case in point is the new constitution of the Indian Olympic Association. It is a disaster, it is an absolute disaster, because it kills everything sports stands for. So who interfered in it -- the courts," he alleged.
"?Today, in India courts have absolutely overreached and courts are responsible for destruction of sports in India, because they keep giving orders which they do not understand, I will be very careful so that I am not in contempt of court," he claimed.
Sumariwalla served as AFI president for 12 years from 2012 onwards, the maximum tenure allowed under the existing Sports Code. He was succeeded by Bahadur Singh Sagoo to the top post earlier this month. He is currently a vice-president of World Athletics, the international track and field governing body.
The Draft Sports Bill 2024 includes an arbitration clause that would require athletes and sports officials to resolve disputes through an Appellate Sports Tribunal instead of the courts. The tribunal would be modelled after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The Draft Bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament during the upcoming Budget Session.
"?I am giving you an example, in kabaddi, they had a dispute, two parties went to court, and the court appointed an administrator. For the last seven years, the administrator, who is a retired judge, refuses to leave his post, even after elections are held, giving some legal reason," Sumariwalla claimed without taking any names.
"Why because, he is being paid Rs 5 lakh a month, he has a car, he has an assistant, he is a retired judge, he did not get paid Rs 5 lakh as judge, so why would he leave.
"?So there are seven national (sports) associations in India which have administrators. There is a judgment of Delhi High Court, the judge who gave the judgment now wants to become an administrator, how bad is that," he alleged.
Sumariwalla said a proper legal system to deal with these issues is needed.
"You need a panel of arbitration of sports, something like a CAS (Court of Arbitration of Sports), who understands the sports and who do not want to interfere," he said.
"?There is a lawyer, who keeps filling PILs in courts on sports issues showing he is the protector of sports. Recently in one of the cases that he took up, the judge asked him if his federation is compliant with the Sports Code, and he said no. He keeps shouting from rooftops about the Sports Code and how all federations should be disbanded.
"?So we have to stop this, by bringing in the Bill which will have arbitration within the purview of the Sports Bill. And if this Bill does not come in the next month or so, most federations will cease to exist, because the court order is so bad that no federation should be able to work, so this is destruction of sports by courts," he alleged.
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