New Delhi: Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla took a scathing remark at the Indian courts for pulling down sports in the country. He termed the new bill in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as disaster.
The State Olympic Association (SOAs) don’t have the voting rights under the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after the draft of the IOA constitution in 2022, which was drafted under the supervision of the Supreme Court. It also got the nod from the International Olympic Committee. This reduced the role of all the state Olympic bodies in key matters.
The courts have also had some important decisions passed in connection to the mismanagement of some of the National Sports Federations in the country. Sumariwalla, who served as the AFI president till December 2024, is of the conviction that Indian courts have overreached in their capacity and destroyed Indian sports, though he was aware of the contempt of court charge.
“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 said during 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.”
“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 successfully served in the role of the AFI chief for three terms from 2012 to 2024 and couldn’t further continue as the maximum tenure under the current Sports Code barred him from contention. The 67-year-old was succeeded by Bahadur Singh Sagoo earlier this month. Sumariwalla currently serves as the vice-president of World Athletics, the global governing body of the track and field athletics sports.
Dissecting the Draft Sports Bill 2024, the senior sports administrator pointed out the flaws in how judiciary personnel turning into sports administrators.
“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.
Under the Draft Sports Bill 2024, the disputes between athletes and administrators needed to be resolved by an Appellate Sports Tribunal instead of the courts. The Sports Tribunal will be established based on the conduct of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). This draft bill will be introduced in the upcoming budget session in the Indian parliament.
“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.
Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla strongly criticized Indian courts for their detrimental impact on Indian sports, citing the new IOA constitution as a “disaster.” He highlighted the overreach of judicial intervention, leading to the mismanagement of National Sports Federations and the appointment of unqualified administrators. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
