May 10, 2017 by admin

Other sports need Lodha-like scrutiny: Sushil

New Delhi, Sushil Kumar strongly feels that panels similar to the one headed by Justice RM Lodha to clean up the BCCI mess must be set up to bring more accountability and transparency in the functioning of the National Sports Federations (NSF).
“I don’t mind if we have a Lodha Panel for all National Sports Federations. It will only help increase the accountability and transparency of the associations,” Sushil said.
“The coaches need to be accountable. We are in need of qualified coaches,” he said during a sports conclave organised by the Railways Sports Promotion Board.
“I think we couldn’t cash in on our performance in the Beijing Olympics. Although we got six medals in London, we didn’t improve as a sporting nation. The planning and preparation left a lot to be desired,” he added.
Mary Kom spoke about the lack of qualified coaches and trainers. “Once we had a boxing coach. After a few days, I made some enquiries about his credentials and found out that he had got his NIS degree in basketball or football. And that man later got the Dronacharya Award also,” Mary Kom recollected, leaving the audience and the other panellists, Sushil and Baichung Bhutia, in splits.
“We have seen doctors who would give you tablets to cure headache if you have a heel injury. There have been times when I haven’t had a masseur,” she added.
Bhutia questioned whether franchise-based private leagues were contributing to the development of sport at the grassroots level.