New Delhi: The newly elected Ski and Snowboard India is not a rightful representative of winter sports and should not be granted National Sports Federation status, two-time Winter Olympian Arif Khan has said.
Ski and Snowboard India (SSI) — the governing body for the sport in the country — has been hit by a tussle for control leading to protracted court cases. Only two athletes including Arif were part of this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy and skier Stanzin Lundup’s participation was challenged in court here. International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) do not recognise any Indian federation at the moment.
In a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and FIS president Johan Eliasch, Arif, one of India’s best winter sport athletes, said that the sports ministry had noted in the Delhi High Court that “SSI is not recognised as an NSF and that its affairs are governed solely by its own memorandum, bye-laws and regulations as a registered society.
“Consequently, the outcome of such elections cannot be construed as constituting the elected office-bearers of a recognized National Sports Federation for Ski and Snowboard in India,” Arif wrote on June 1. Arif was a member of the IOA ad hoc panel overseeing the sport before the elections.
When contacted, Arif said that a few IOA executive body members are pushing for SSI’s recognition as an NSF. “Some members of the IOA executive body are trying to lobby for SSI to be granted NSF status because of vested interests but these SSI officials are the same bunch who have done nothing for the sport. They have no knowledge of winter sports. They are not concerned about the development of the sport and athletes, yet some of them have found a way to be re-elected,” said the alpine skier.
In another letter to FIS on April 27, Arif wrote about the “failed governance structure of winter sports in India over past three years and that “majority of voting members in SSI are from non-snow states.” He said “athletes in India are suffering greatly due to such political and self-serving organisations that are unfit to govern winter sports.”
The recent elections of SSI were held on the order of Delhi High Court. Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, regions of regular snowfall, objected to their “exclusion” from the electoral process directly undermining its legitimacy, as these “regions form the backbone of India’s ski and snowboard ecosystem.”
These units, supported by three other states, also called for “inclusion of new or inactive entities,” after following “objective eligibility criteria.” They noted their objections in a letter to returning officer Rekha Palli, retired judge Delhi High Court, on April 13. The returning officer postponed the elections and after hearing all parties and their objections and granted Himachal and J&K four weeks to file nominations.
The election dates were revised from May 3 to May 31. Eighteen units participated in the elections, and included a representative each from J&K and Ladakh, and two from Uttarakhand.
Tanveer Singh Bajwa was elected SSI president and Mohammad Arshad general secretary in the 11-member board.
