Sports bodies cold to Govt offer to hire CEOs

Archery chief V K Malhotra said having a CEO paid by the government might mean giving up control.

Top national sports federations have ignored a sports ministry proposal that they should appoint CEOs to run their affairs professionally. The government had offered to pay for the CEOs.

Letters went out last month to 13 federations from athletics to wushu and the School Games Federation of India,seeking a response in two weeks.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) director general Jiji Thomson said the proposal was made because the government felt there was an absolute need to professionalise our federations.

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Only badminton,canoeing/kayaking,wrestling and School Games Federation of India got back.

Most of them feel they already run the federations professionally and dont feel the need to appoint a CEO. Perhaps they doubt SAIs intentions as well, Thomson said. He added there was no point in implementing the plan unless a majority of federations agreed.

Archery chief V K Malhotra said having a CEO paid by the government might mean giving up control. Its a very sensitive issue. We need to look at the pros and cons, Malhotra said.