Rijiju re-emphasizes on Sports Code implemention without encroaching NSFs autonomy

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday made an emphatic statement answering the concerns of various National Sports Federations (NSFs) regarding their autonomous functioning.

In a statement, the Sports Minister said:  

"I've been made aware of some concerns of Indian Olympic Association President, Shri Narinder Dhruv Batra and news published in some section of media regarding autonomous functioning of National Sporting Federations (NSFs) vis-a-vis perceived control of the Sports Ministry and SAI on their day- to-day functioning.

"I have had detailed discussion with my officers regarding this issue and would like to reiterate the following... The common goal of the Sports Ministry, IOA and the NSFs are:

• 1. Improving the overall sports ecosystem of the country with focus on identifying and nurturing grassroot level talents on the one hand and grooming elite athletes to achieve sporting excellence on the other. 
• 2. Providing the best facilities to our athletes in terms of training, diet and top level competition exposure. 
• 3. To ensure that India finishes in the Top 10 in 2028 Olympics, an ambitious target declared by me as Sports Minister of the Country.

"To achieve these goals, the way forward is to have a proper coordination between Sports Ministry, SAI, IOA and NSFs. Government is committed to work closely with all NSFs and IOA to ensure that there is no gap in the communication between stakeholders. 

"While reviewing the critical sporting activities, the autonomous functioning of the National Sports Federations must be maintained at any cost.

"Adherence to National Sports Code and Good Governance in NSFs are cornerstones of transparency and fairness in all it's conducts. Govt is committed to provide necessary support to NSFs for the promotion of sports and to ensure the well-being of our athletes is not compromised. 

"Regular consultation and discussion amongst the stakeholders at various levels must be smooth but undesirable conduct by individuals at any circumstances should not dampen our coperation spirit and any remark made by individuals at certain situation should not be treated as a matter of policy.

"We are determined to work together to realise the dream of making India a sports superpower."