Govt guidelines draw flak from sports body

The General Association of National Sports Federations has blasted the sports guidelines issued by the Federal government, dubbing it a "fractured document, produced by a fractured government."

The GANSF warned that "confrontation between the government and sports federations is inevitable if the guidelines are not withdrawn".

The guidelines "make no sense, and appear to have been drawn up in a fit of insanity," GANSF president Vijay Kumar Malhotra told newspersons in New Delhi.

He wanted to know the "provocation that led to the government coming out with such a ragtag sports policy, when the government is not sure about its own survival. Why is the government disturbing the existing system?" he demanded.

Lampooning the new guidelines, Malhotra said that the government has no understanding, no direction, no aim, no priority and no intent as regards sports.

Malhotra alleged that the idea behind the guidelines was to bring the various sports bodies under government control.

"The government wants to have its stranglehold on the federations through manipulation," Malhotra alleged.

Disagreeing with Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi's approach of conciliation and not confrontation with the government, Malhotra said, "How is cooperation and conciliation possible when a government comes out with such directionless, meaningless guidelines? We should be ready for a showdown with the government if these guidelines are not withdrawn."

Malhotra alleged that these guidelines are a direct assault on the Olympic Charter and that by dividing the games into three categories, the guidelines have created a caste system in sports. "On what criteria were these guidelines and categorisation derived?" Malhotra demanded.