NEW DELHI: Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has declared that he would have no qualms in sacking officials from his ministry if they delay sanction of incentives for athletes. However, he also advised athletes not to make wrong allegations regarding the same.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Rathore opined that Indian sports is blessed with a vast amount of funds but they have to be utilized with proper justification by both the athletes as well as the federations.
While addressing the 2018 Commonwealth Games winners at a felicitation function in the capital, he was quoted saying to the athletes: “The officials in Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India have been tasked to attend to your requirements and resolve your issues at the earliest. At any point in time if I hear that sportspersons are having issues in getting these incentives and funds there are few heads that will roll.”
“But before you (athlete) make any accusation, please be very sure that there was an error on our part and not on your part. There was this case that came to me, an athlete was complaining that he or she was not getting the incentive money. I was about to suspend one of my officers but later found out that the money was allotted to that athlete one year ago,” Rathore pointed out.
India won 66 medals (26 Gold, 20 Silver, 20 bronze) in the Gold Coast CWG. In total 70 athletes won medals, counting the mixed team and doubles events in some disciplines.
The individual Gold winners received Rs 3 million each while the Silver and Bronze medallists got Rs 2 million and Rs 1 million respectively. All the medal winners of team events got varying amounts of money in different disciplines.
Rathore also said he was encouraged by the improvement seen in the functioning of the IOA and national sports federations.
“I am getting a very positive sense from Mr (IOA president Narinder) Batra. He is already changing things within the IOA. The way IOA used to function that is not going to happen. Similarly some of the NSF heads are brilliant and they are doing a very good job.
“We will work in close coordination with them (IOA and NSFs). But each NSF or the their coaches need to justify with logic that every penny being spent is being used to its optimum.
“There is no dearth of resources in India and we are ready to open our finances for the use of the athletes but these spendings will have to be justified,” the Sports Minister signed off.
