Requested by: First time MP from Tamil Nadu (Lok Sabha)

 

Due: April 18, 2008

 

                                                              Youth and Sports

 

 

Contents

INTROUDUCTION................................................................................................................2

 

THE LEGISLATIONS.............................................................................................................2

 

INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE............................................................................................2

 

STATUS OF SPORTS IN THE COUNTRY…………………………………………………3

 

PROBLEMS FACING SPORTS IN THE INDIA…………………………………………… 3

 

INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO……………………………………………………………..4

 

SPORT AS A THERAPY...…………………………………………………………………..4

 

OLYMPICS AND COMMONWEALTH GAMES...................................................................4

ROLE OF LEGISLATORS........................................................................................................5

SUMMATION.. 5

 

 

 

 

 

Compiled by

 

Nilanjana Mukherjee

 

Disclaimer

 

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Introduction

 

 

Sports and Youth are inextricably linked. It is believed that Sports is a key factor in the holistic development of the youth. It provides them with fruitful recreation, galvanizes them to take on challenging tasks and instills a sense of discipline in them. Attaining success in sports can increase a person’s confidence, self – worth, team and community spirit and patriotism. The International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, UNESCO, 1978 states that “Every human being has a fundamental right of access to physical education and sport, which are essential for the full development of his personality. The freedom to develop physical, intellectual and moral powers through physical education and sport must be guaranteed both within the educational system and in other aspects of social life.”(http://yas.nic.in/yasroot/tenders/Draft.pdf)

 

                                                                                                            

 

The Legislations

 

 

Both youth and sports have their own national policies. The National Youth Policy was formulated in 2003 and it defines youth as a group between 13-35 years of age. The policy emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to youth development with sports as on of the means to achieve that end. The National Sports Policy 2001 seeks "broad basing" of sports and "achieving excellence at the national and international levels" by integrating sports and physical education more effectively and efficiently with the education curriculum. The draft Policy of National Policy of 2007 has come with many candid observations about the status of sports in the country as well as some recommendations. The policy states that in the Parliament Standing Committee on Human Resource Development 1998 has identified certain major problem areas

-lack of sports culture in the country,

-non-integration of sports as a part of the formal education system,

-lack of cooperation between stakeholders

-inadequacy of sports infrastructure amongst others.

To combat these problems the Draft Policy of 2007 states that

-Sports for all-To provide universal access to sports and physical access to all classes of people.

-Universalize sports facilities in educational facilities

-Provision of Sports Facilities in Rural Areas through Panchayati Raj Institutions

-Provision of facilities in Urban Areas

These some of the salient features of the Draft Policy 2007.

 

The Institutional Structure

 

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is at the Centre and there are various state departments as well. Under the ministry comes 64 National Sports Federations. These are mostly autonomous bodies and look after a particular sport in the country such as the BCCI or the Board of Control of Cricket in India, IOA or the Indian Olympic Association. The ministry runs many schemes under the youth and Sorts sector such as National Service Scheme under the Youth sector and Panchayat Yuva Krida aur Khel Abhiyan under the Sport Sector.

 

 

 

 

Status of Sports in the country

 

Indians have been traditionally accomplished sportspersons in Hockey, Weightlifting, Trap Shooting, Carom, and Cricket. New areas of excellence have been Tennis, Badminton, and Golf.

 

The success of Tennis and Golf, traditionally not played in India is testimony to the fact that if there is correct planning, there is no sport that we cannot excel in. The All India Tennis Association has established the National Tennis Academy near Delhi which has churned out winners regularly. The objective of this institute is to give comprehensive education to the children enrolled here. Another reason is the interest taken by former players to become coaches and to train talented youngsters. An example of this is the Prakash Padukone institute of Badminton. This institute has regularly churned out champions such as Puella Gopichand who went to win the prestigious All England Championships.

 

But these success have been few and far in between and only because of the will of the few Sports Federations. Unfortunately, there have been some indigenous sports in which we have lost some ground. Hockey was a game in which we were traditionally medal winner but over the years the situation has deteriorated so much that we have been unable to qualify   for this year’s Beijing Olympics. This will be the first time in 80 years. Experts blame this downfall on severe lack of resources, and the lack of motivation in the IHF. The IHF has done nothing to promote the game within the youth. They have not done anything to set up talent spotting camps, training camps to ensure physical and mental fitness. These activities are done by all the Cricket, Tennis and Badminton federations. It is only after these steps were taken that we are able to see the successes.

 

Problems Facing Sports in India

 

The problems that plague Indian Sports are many: “lack of infrastructure, absence of a sporting culture, officials who neither retire nor contribute, corporate apathy, government indifference.” But perhaps the most pressing problem is the fact that sports is no longer a career option for most people except of course Cricket, Tennis and a few other select sports. In an intensely competitive world, where money is of paramount importance, a career in less glamorous sport such as Kabbadi, Kho-Kho etc is considered not a done thing. Most sportspersons in India are not well paid; if they reach till the national and state level they can get a job with a PSU or a State or National Department such as Income Tax, Railways etc. But a cricketer, tennis player, golfer are played millions of Dollars for playing for a few years. In the recently concluded IPL auctions 27 year old M.S.Dhoni will get Rs 6Crores for playing for the IPL. Remuneration of such kind is galore for tennis , cricket and golf players.

 

To revive indigenous sports we can look to Punjab for inspiration, the government of Punjab encourages the revival of these sports like Kabbadi by holding Village Fairs which all have sporting events. Today in almost 7000 villages in Punjab in one decade rural sports competitions are being held. Rural folk organize them. It is they who extend all hospitality to the competitors also. In fact these village sports have opened the floodgates of village development (http://punjabgovt.nic.in/Culture/Ruralsports.htm).

 

 

 

 

 

International Scenario

 

Even a small country like Cuba, whose population of about 11.5   million is comparable to that of NCT Delhi, boasts approximately   2 million athletes, of whom 23,000 are in the high performance   category in 38 different sports disciplines at the national and   international level. The Cuban Sports Model is built on the belief   that physical education and sports serve to develop the social,   mental, physical and intellectual dimensions of an individual; and   in doing so enable the individual to contribute on a sustainable   basis to the development of the state and the nation. With the   sports culture permeating every aspect of Cuban society, national   athletes are folk heroes and receive national recognition and   lifetime financial support. Retired athletes receive a high salary for   life and other support and they, in turn, contribute to the national   sports system as sports activists or volunteers. Currently, there are   over 1,20,000 retired sportspersons, apart from another 48,000   Professionals, engaged in delivering sport and physical education   at home, community, school and college, and workplace in Cuba

Sports abroad are taken as a vital part of any youth’s life. Every child goes to play and his/her natural ability is given complete support to develop. Sports is a viable career option and it is not   to academics (as is considered in India by most), since a lot of youth win scholarships to go to college based on their sports merit. This has two effects-First, he/she gets a college education so if not successful in sports they can make a career in something else. Second, he/she can continue to hone their skills under the expert guidance of coaches and sports scientists who prepare them for international competition.

In the early 1960’s there was no sporting culture to begin with in Cuba. But the government stepped in and took sports to the grass root level. This was done by making physical education compulsory, this in turn led to the interest of the masses in sports. Coupled with provision of sporting infrastructure at the right time and stage, Cuba is now considered a sporting giant internationally (Chappell,1998). Even developed countries like Malaysia have asked Cuba to send its coaches to their country to train their athletes.

Sport as a Therapy

 

 

Sports are used as an effective therapy tool to help the youth overcome many psychological and developmental problems they may have faced. In almost all remand homes, institutions for youth and even in prisons the world over sports is given a priority. This is so because sports have a unique mix of order, gratification, team spirit, friendly competition and promotion of good health. Most youth who have faced violence in their homes or in the streets are seen to respond positively to the stimulation provided by sports. In fact sports can also help youth who have been afflicted with Cerebral Palsy and Autism.

 

 

 

Olympics and Commonwealth Games

 

The Olympics date back to the Greek times where they were played to show off individual skills and valour. The modern Olympics though embody the true spirit of sports and all that accompanies it. The Modern Olympics were started by a French Aristocrat called Coubertin, who believed that only sports can help a person be more well – rounded and a vigorous person. India had right after independence dominance over Hockey in the Olympics. Our team won many gold medals. But, unfortunately this time we will not be participating in the Beijing Olympics 2008, as our Hockey team has not even qualified for the Olympics. There have been other individual events in which we have done well. Leander Paes won us a Bronze Medal in Tennis at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

 

The next commonwealth games will be held in Delhi in 2010.At the Commonwealth games our performances have been satisfactory. In last Commonwealth games we won 22 gold medals. But most of the wins came only in the singles event and not in team events.

 

Role of  Legislators

 

 

The United Nations adopted the theme of “Sports for Development and Peace” in its agenda 2001, which clearly demonstrates the close relation of Sports and Youth Development. Seeing the importance of sport in youth development and its larger implications for the Nation, the individual legislator role is quite crucial. The legislator in his own Constituency can act as a facilitator in creating interest about sports. He can also take an interest in the implementation of the Panchayati Krida aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA).The Legislator can felicitate award winning athletes and it is this kind of encouragement which will foster a culture of Sports in the youth in the country. The legislator can also use Parliament as a forum to discuss the situation of sports in the country and bring about discussion on the issues he/she feels are of relevance.

 

 

 

Summation

 

The recent trend in India has been the growth of individualistic sports such as Golf, Tennis etc. This can be attributed to the availability of infrastructure, the interest and motivation of the concerned Federation and the resources available. Unfortunately, though one cannot deny the importance of such sports but being individualistic in nature, they are contrary to the concept of team spirit. This in turn does not help the youth at large develop community spirit, a pre-requisite to the exercise of nation-building .It is also important to encourage our traditional and indigenous sports, which advocate team spirit like Kho- kho, Kabbadi and Tennis. Much needs to be done at National, State and District level to improve the present condition of these sports.

 

 

 

References

 

·        http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/36518.cms

 

·        http://yas.nic.in/

 

·        http://autism.healingthresholds.com/news/opening-day-for-sports-therapy-

 

·        http://uscubanormalization.blogspot.com/2007/08/cubas-biggest-export-

 

·        http://anandkrishna.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/what-ails-indian-hockey/

 

·        http://punjabgovt.nic.in/Culture/Ruralsports.htm