Almost every day during the last week, we have seen a press release issued by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Either, it is issued by PT Usha, its president, or by some member of the Executive body opposed to her at the moment. I am not going into the merits of who is right or who is wrong. The fact is, it doesn’t really matter because the end result is India cutting a very sorry figure in front of the world.
That there is no love lost between the president and her team is known. That there is disunity is also known. But why does dirty linen have to be washed in public? Why press release after press release? Why a statement and thereafter a counter? What’s the point? Ultimately, Usha and Sahadev Yadav are president and treasurer of the same IOA. So, why not sit down and resolve differences? Rant in a closed room and solve the issue. Why issue a press release each time, which exposes fissures and gives the world a bad impression of India?
I want to make it very clear here that I am not remotely interested in taking sides. This is not about the merits of the charges levelled by both parties. Rather, this is about the way things are being conducted. All that we hear about the IOA pertains to infighting. We see strong statements being made in the press, and it is as if each side is out to demean the other. Does Indian sport benefit from this? Can it ever? Does the Sports Authority of India (SAI) not see what’s going on and does the Sports Ministry not feel alarmed at the level of animosity? If Indian sport has to progress and we have to draw a roadmap for the 2026 Asian Games and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, we need a united IOA. Not one where the members are out to destroy each other.
You speak to Indian athletes, and almost all of them are worried. They don’t know what to do or say. None of them want to ruffle feathers, and almost all of them know that a statement favouring Usha will not go down well with the members of the Executive Board, and vice versa. All the athletes can do is wait and watch, hope for the bad blood to subside and for sense to prevail.
Two things need to be stated here. First, Usha is a democratically elected president. And secondly, the Executive Board is key to the IOA’s functioning. So, clearly, they can’t do without each other. The president can’t operate in isolation, and the Executive Board can’t function without taking cognisance of what the president suggests. For the sake of Indian sport, we need someone to broker peace. Maybe the Sports minister or someone who is respected by both sides. Maybe someone appointed by the ministry as an emissary, to broker peace and make both sides see reason.
It is for India, and there is nothing bigger. For far too long, this war has gone on. For far too long, the IOA has been disunited. For far too long, India has been shamed. It is time for sense to prevail and for this public spat to stop. Someone has to bell the cat. Take control and save our sport. More of this, and it could damage Indian sport beyond repair. The faster we realise it, the better.