Former shooter and veteran sports administrator Raja Randhir Singh became the first Indian president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) last month. The 77-year-old’s tenure will run from 2024 to 2028. We speak with Randhir, on the prospects for Indian sportsmen and what holding Olympics in India can do for us.
How are you seeing the sports scenario in the country at the moment? Especially when the nation expects more medals from our sportsmen and women.
There is nothing that we can find fault with. They are doing their best and the government is encouraging them programmes such as ‘Khelo India’, they encourage it everywhere. And the athletes are supported through top programmes. And now sponsorship is also coming in, but one thing I am very much for, which I think the government should immediately come down upon, is the representation of India in International Sports Federation. This is very important for us.
Seeing Ukraine, you must have your say in the world body. You must have a say in the International Federations. And, what we have done is impose this limit upon our own people; this way, none of the people from the foundation will make it to the world body.
Why is that?
Let somebody survive for 12 years. After 12 years, he has to leave the federation in India. Because we have imposed this rule, limited an individual tenure for a maximum of 12 years. Why are we doing this, why we cutting our own feet? You know, the thing should be, it’s, it should be left to the international federation. If any International Federation has a rule. We should follow that. If they have no limit, then why we do impose on over ourselves; you know, we are, we are, instead of encouraging our federations to make it to the international body, we are discouraging them by, by not letting them get into the world bodies. So today, outside four federations, one is sailing where an Indian is the president in Asia.
And basketball, we have our people in just four globally. And there are two others. The third is a Secretary General of Judo and the fourth is cycling. Any sport, any foundation. We are not there, in neither Asian, neither Olympic, in no other sport.
So, are you saying that this 12-year rule is coming in the way?
Of course.A hundred percent.Because what happens is if you going to fit into the National Federation, first you have to get into a national federation. First four years, you have to feel your way around in the National Federation. Then you try to get in the international body. Who then cares about you there. No body. People have to be there for some time to establish themselves in the international field. Why are we restricting our tenures? I think government should do a rethink. They should look at the tenure and age limit. In some federation, there is no age limit. And we are putting in an age limit. Why are we doing it? We have to basically follow the International Federation. And in the case of the Olympic Committee, the Olympic Committee rules must be followed.
We should follow those rules. Not a rule made by us. The government is following rules because somebody said something and someone said another, or if somebody goes to court and which is wrong, but we should be looking at our representation, as a nation, on the global stage. And government should be very seriously looking into this. So what is the obstruction? You are blocking them yourself by saying not more than 12 years, disregarding international rules.
So, if I understood you right, you are saying our national associations must adopt rules as per that particular sports federation internationally.
Correct. Exactly.
So, on another similar related issue is that of too many politicians in our sports bodies, and are they better served by sportsman or sportspersons such as yourself. You have been a legendary sportsperson yourself. So, what is your take?
I’ve seen sports people and I’ve seen the politicians working. It’s not every politician who can club the same category. There are some politicians who work hard and they’re interested in sport. They help sport find sponsorship. And they do a great job. And in the same way some athletes who you bring into sports also do a fine job. But not every athlete, just because he is an international sportsman, is an administrator. Being a sports administrator is a different ball game. Totally. It doesn’t have to be a politician or sportsman or somebody. You need dedication and dedicated people to run that association or the Olympic committee. So, we can’t lay down that only sportsman should get in and only this should get in. Look at the mess going on in the Indian Olympic Association. And if you look at the majority of the Olympic executive called sports people, and you know, and everyone is fighting everyone, so it cannot stop anybody. Remember one thing, there’s politics and everything in your life, in your family, everywhere is politics.
That is true.
Yes. But if your children indulge in politics, you have to deal with them. You have to be politically correct. But the same thing happens for anybody. See, when you are in an organization, your organization should be number one for you. Correct?
Right.
And what should matter is how you manage the organization. There are two aspects of any sports federation. One is your prime consideration, that you look after the sports person. That’s number one. Second is how you administer the federation to achieve that. And administer the association properly.
So, you are saying there is no blanket rule that politicians should be barred, but how can you have checks and balances to ensure proper administration?
It’s the person. You know, my family is into politics. My cousin brother, my sister-in-law, they’re all in politics. But that doesn’t stop them, if they were looking after a National Federation, it wouldn’t come in the way of being a politician. It will be helpful. And you know, you need support. You need people to help. You are running coaching camps. You are sending teams abroad. Now the government of India is paying for everything. Earlier there was no money coming in. And so, if you have no money coming, somebody who can raise the funds for you is important. Just as important.
And you are saying if the person is from politics, it can also be an additional help?
Why not? Why not? Think of it yourself. If you are somebody who’s a nobody and he’s sitting on the head of the federation or anywhere else, right? Who cares about him? You won’t get sponsorship. You get nothing. You get no support.
During Princely India there were so many 500 plus states in India. But not everyone took interest in sports. Only some, some took interest in sport. But it grew. You have to find people who are interested and people who are ready to invest either financially or they can invest with their time. But for training athletes, everything has to be done by only the top and best coaches.
The government is giving them money. They’re talking to international psychologists; they’re talking to international coaches. They’re learning from that. Everything is there. Only thing is that we have to manage it properly. For that, you can’t put a limit. You can’t say, let’s say I’m a wrestler, and every wrestler should be able to be a person who should be a president of a federation. You have to find the right people and the right place.
In your opinion, what is holding us back from becoming a more vigorous sporting nation? We are not there.
Earlier, we didn’t have a base. There were pockets in India, in one pocket where a certain sport prevailed. Now all sports have spread all over the country. There are facilities all over the country. I’m only giving a reference on shooting. Now there are thousands of people who are shooting.
That’s number one. Number two, some of the people who have done well, are world champions. They become heroes for the people. And then everyone wants to emulate them.
Then the encouragement the government gives you, you have the Prime Minister who calls you. You have prize money. You have the states giving them funds. It has all become attractive. The eco-system is developing, for sure.
Do you think funding is adequate at the moment?
Look at the national camps and the numbers that are being held. I know from the shooting side of it, they get enough money, more than adequate. If you look at it worldwide, this sort of money, few other governments are not paying. Except for countries like China or Russia or a few others. But very few countries give this sort of support to the athletes as we are doing. Then our base is basically improving higher. Now it is slowly going up. And now we are winning medals. You won over a hundred medals in the Asian Games.
And now we are knocking on the doors of, as far as the Olympics are concerned, medals are concerned. Every sportsman, that went there who didn’t make it to the finals or semi-finals, was very disappointed. That means they have the will to fight. And win they will.
Most of us including you, when the Olympics were over, we were a little sad. We think that somewhere we lose out every four years in every Olympics. We are at the bottom of the table. We are not there where we should be.
That’s a multi-sport event, okay. If you look at the individual world championships, look at the amount of world champions we have! Look at the young juniors. So it shows a whole crop, we are now moving up. These children, in another five years, six years, they’ll be world champions in the city. Nothing stopping them. And they have the facility, they have the ammunition, they have the guns, they have the ranges coming up. Even shotgun people, will set up their own speed ranges. It’s just a question of time. And the government is fully supportive. Once you make it to the national camps and travelling, everything is done by the government. And sponsors are coming.
Regarding sponsorship from the private sector. Say for instance, without naming any names, whichever companies are there, all doing an admirable job, but somewhere they’re not adequately inculcating or spending enough money at the grassroots. It is more at the sponsorship of a world festival or a world championship. So, the money is going only to the top.
I agree with what you’re saying. This is where the National Sports Federation at the sub junior, junior level has to find the talent and then train them. Number two, Khelo India is that particular unit, which is helping those sports people. They’re adopting these younger generation sports persons. And they’re getting a stipend a month. And they are getting all the training, facilities, coaches, camps.
So you are saying we are in many ways on the right track, we will have to be a patient for results.
Exactly. Now we are getting there. In the pyramid, we have come right on the top. Now we are knocking the doors.
Any thoughts on our talk about hosting 2036 Olympics?
We have two countries from Asia that are competing. Qatar is bidding. There is India and then there is Istanbul and Budapest. So, it’s very difficult to say. We are capable of holding it. And so are all the four countries in the reckoning.
One last question. Holding Olympics is a very expensive proposition.
It’s definitely so, but you create the infrastructure and environment for sport in your country, and the Olympic movement spreads through that. People are more excited when you have something happening at your doorstep. It makes a tremendous difference to sports in that country. You just can’t hold the Olympic game if you’re not going to win enough medals. So, there’s a tremendous push, extra push that sometimes is required. And it helps the overall eco-system of sports in the country. India’s case will be no different.