By: Dr. Priyanka Saurabh
Whose government is there or whose was it, it is not an issue. The question is whether there is sexual abuse against women players in every federation from cricket to wrestling. The issue is respect and mental and physical safety of women players. Along with this, the federation has to be made a safe place for the players. If the safety of the daughters is not ensured, then the interest in sports among women players will end. Their morale will drop. Women’s participation in sports will decrease. There is a question of the prestige of the country and the dignity of women players. Why talents die in politics, due to active politics in sports, talented players are suppressed, and players are always under pressure from sports officials. The talents of those who work hard in sports remain suppressed; they are finished when they raise their voice.
The character of both the board and the government is becoming clear from the investigation after such allegations and dharna on the board by the medal winners in the highest sports. Where there is a board, there is a government, so was the government able to remove the chairman of the board? Was there a fair investigation? The president of WFI is a parliamentarian and the president of almost all sports boards in India is a political person, so the demand for the president to be a former sportsperson is also gaining momentum for special progress and development in sports. Anyway, sports talents should be seated in such associations and institutions, not politicians. The tenure of office bearers in these institutions should also be fixed and no one should be given office for more than one term. Wrestling is the only sport for India that fetches the maximum number of medals, be it the Olympics or Commonwealth Games. The foundation of the players should not be made of the leaders but of the players only. There should be senior players in it and not leaders. These are the players of our country who have brought laurels to our country. He has brought the gold medal.
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This game has hoisted the flag of Indian sports in the world and has given vibrancy to the sports of India and a height to its identity. Its players have been victorious on the strength of their passion. In this way, Indian wrestlers have raised the country’s sports flag and pride all over the world, so if the president and coaches of the wrestling federation are being accused of sexual exploitation of women players, then it is defaming India all over the world.
It is an infamous stain, a great tragedy. It’s a matter of shame. When these players sitting on dharna come after winning medals, then the politicians themselves call them and set everyone’s mike and praise everyone for media propaganda, but when these players sit on dharna against the misbehaviour being done to them. At that time, politicians who show great readiness can smell snakes, why is it so?
This would have been the right thing for the youth of the country. It will be called the country’s misfortune that despite the restrictions of the government, most of the sports associations are occupied by politicians and government officials. There is a lot of corruption in them, which does not allow real sporting talents to come forward. These office bearers are more concerned about their development than the development of sports. Most of their time is also spent pleasing the politicians sitting on the chair and in political manipulation of sports associations. More than players, these officials enjoy facilities and travel abroad. The aggrieved players should also have put solid evidence in front of the court of the country and the country even before the dharna. Still, whatever the allegation is, it is very serious, there should be a fair investigation and if the allegation is proven, severe punishment should be meted out to the nation. Such a law should be made by dissolving the executive bodies of all the boards so that only apolitical and sports backgrounds people should be elected to the sports boards.
The most worrying thing is that if women wrestlers, who have increased the pride and glory of the country, have to struggle even to protect their honour, then the functioning of our sports federations also comes into question. Where the sportspersons of the country should have a sense of pride and respect for their federations and sports organizations, while they have a sense of contempt and rebellion, then it is a matter of shame. Along with this, it should also be seen why such allegations keep coming from the sports world from time to time. Why do women sportspersons remain silent even after being victims of sexual abuse lest their careers be ruined? To ensure that this does not happen in the future and to make sure that the daughters of the country make a career in sports while feeling safe, there should also be a serious consideration to create an effective mechanism within various federations.
Also, after studying the rules of many countries of the world, the rules of trials have been made after the Olympics, and they should be respected. If someone wants to go to the Olympics or such a big competition, then he has to give trials along with other players of the country. The player who has secured the Olympic quota will compete with the winner of the trial in the country. Then from there, the wrestler will be selected for the Olympics. If the Olympic quota holder loses, he will be given another chance. If the wrestlers are doing all this drama by going against this rule, then the truth should come in front of everyone and strict action should be taken against those who violate the rules of the game, no matter how big the player is.
India has a long history of neglect of sports and sportspersons. Allegations of the working style of sports federations, favouritism in selection and not getting proper facilities to the players have been made in the past as well, but the latest case is such that not only the wrestling federation but also the credibility and transparency of all the sports federations have raised questions. The MP who misbehaved with the girls and young players of the country should have been immediately removed from his post and fair investigation and legal action should have been taken, which did not happen. Due to this the confidence and morale of the young players of the country would remain above the country and the name of India would be illuminated on the world stage. (The author is a Research Scholar in Political Science, a poetess, independent journalist and a columnist)
