New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) Athletes Commission (AC) got down to business on Thursday, discussing ways to create an athlete-centric environment in IOA and National Sports Federations (NSF).
It was the first full-fledged meeting of the commission after the IOA’s internal tussle came to an end last month. The meeting was attended by AC vice-chairperson Sharath Kamal, members OP Karhana, Bhavani Devi, Shiva Keshavan, Bajrang Lal, Rani Rampal, and PV Sindhu. Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang, who are also committee members, also gave their inputs. The meeting took place at the IOA Bhavan here, while some members attended online.
“It is a significant milestone in the journey towards prioritising athlete welfare and perspectives,” IOA said after the meeting.
A dedicated Athletes Department will be established in IOA, that will be staffed with professionals that will play a pivotal role in ensuring that athletes have a structured channel for feedback and support.
“One of the primary focuses of the Commission was to ensure robust athlete representation in governance structure,” IOA said.
Each National Sports Federation will be requested to provide details of their Athletes Commission representatives.
“This will enable the IOA to establish a comprehensive framework for gathering feedback and insights from athletes across different sports disciplines and present the athletes’ point of view through their official representatives.”
IOA also has to include representatives of AC in its committees, according to a member
The Commission discussed the importance of safeguarding athletes and initiated discussions on setting up a robust safeguarding mechanism to protect athletes’ rights and well-being.
Discussions were also held around supporting athletes in their transition to life after sports. “The Commission proposed the development of an athlete career pathway that would provide opportunities in coaching, administration, and other fields beyond sports.”
The IOA will hire two Olympian interns who will contribute to the initiatives and programs of the Commission.
The AC gets funds from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) — $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. These funds will be used in organizing a National Athletes Forum which will bring together representatives from each NSF to discuss athlete centric issues and chart the future course of athlete engagement in India.
