Performance at the Olympics is a matter of pride for any country and its citizens. P. V. Sindhu, Sakshi Malik who won medals, and Dipa Karmakar and others who came close have ensured that we have some reason to smile as they demonstrated that Indian sportspersons can compete at the highest levels in any world stage. Much has been said and written about India’s performance in the Rio 2016 Olympics. In any corporate context, the accountability for poor performance by a company rests on its management and the Board of Directors. Similarly, citizens and sports lovers as stakeholders should hold sports associations and sports administrators accountable for the performance of India at sporting events.
InGovern has been a champion of good corporate governance in India. In this report, we aim to assess whether we can apply similar principles of governance to sports associations. Greater governance standards of sports associations will enhance the trust of private sponsors, including companies, to allocate more funds to sports.
The recommendations and calls-for-action made in this report are just a start. It should be recognized that other aspects like sports infrastructure, sponsorships, higher public interest, frequent exposure to international competitions, professionalizing tournaments, better incentives to sportspersons, better talent scouting, better nutrition, professional trainers and support staff, etc. go towards creating world class sportspersons.
We hope that this report will contribute to the beginnings of change in governance of sports in India and spur India to greater glory in future sporting events.