NOW that Sahara and some state governments have bailed out Hockey India by offering financial assistance, as well as with other offers of support coming in from numerous quarters, the deadlock between the players and the federation seems to be over. However, although the Indian Hockey crisis has seemingly been allayed for now, it is time to reflect on what the impasse meant for Indian sports overall, keeping in mind the existing situation. While on the face of it the impasse seemed unfortunate and sudden, the fact remains sports in India outside of cricket needed something like this to happen for a long time.
The facts in the Indian hockey situation were very simple. The players typically are not paid during tournaments and receive a pittance as a daily allowance during tournaments. The only time they are supposed to be rewarded is when they perform well at tournaments, and in 2009 they didn’t even receive any incentives for that. Their demands were for reimbursement of up to Rs 4.5 lakhs per player for salaries and performance-based rewards. Hockey India had flatly denied those requests, and offered a flat Rs 25,000 per player, with a 48 hour exploding window. Simply put, Hockey India claimed it could not afford to pay the players nearly as much as they were demanding. The players then offered to pay for their own expenses including boarding and lodging provided they receive an undertaking from Hockey India that it would reimburse them for the expenses, and also offer them graded salary scales.
The impasse didn’t look as if it would break down any time soon, and in the interim private parties started offering to make up the difference between what Hockey India could afford to pay, and what the players were demanding. Finally, the matter was resolved when Sahara offered to pay Rs 10 million, some state governments offered their support, and other private parties also offered to chip in. The players are now set to return to camp, and the preparations for the World Cup are likely back on track. This episode however, reflects the plight of Indian Sports, where players have to resort to tactics that are at the very least desperate, just to get a fair hearing. While there are schools of thought that the players were holding the federation to ransom and putting money before their country, the fact remains that outside of cricket, most athletes struggle to make ends meet, simply because there are limited sponsorships or opportunities to earn a living through their sport. Whether or not Hockey India could afford to pay the players is a moot point: the fact is that many federations do limited amount of good for the careers or earning potential of their athletes, and the fact that the hockey players have actually taken a stand via an ad-hoc player’s committee so to speak, is the best thing for Indian sport.
Also to be kept in mind is the situation with Abhinav Bindra, where instead of being allowed to train and compete internationally, he was disqualified from numerous events simply because the NRAI refused to accept his international scores as an adequate indication of his qualification status in the trials. That the NRAI had to backtrack in that situation as well, makes the last two weeks a regrettably momentous period in Indian sports.
Indian sportsmen and women typically lack representation and a voice, and one thing is now certain: Indian athletes from here on won’t easily be ignored. The stakes are too high, and this should be a wake up call for the Sports Ministry and all the federations that are still complacent. There is increasingly a growing sense of accountability, and just as Hockey India will need to show where and how the funds it receives are being used, each federation that receives State, federal, or private aid, will need to show why the money often doesn’t reach the players.
How Team India performs in the World Cup is now a moot point, as is whether or not Abhinav Bindra ever comes close to replicating his Olympics success. The fact is that they have won a battle for the emerging sports in India, and should be lauded for their decision to come out in the open. The moves were fraught with risks, but will likely pay dividends now. One just hopes this is the start of a new dawn in Indian sports, courtesy the Indian Hockey team.
The author is a Sports Attorney with J. Sagar Associates.
