IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports federations accountable to? For years, our sports governing bodies have cried foul whenever the government has attempted to hold them to account, claiming that they are only answerable to their international associations. The National Sports Policy of 2001 is hardly treated as binding. Some adhere to it, others find a way around it. The Pakistan Sports Board, however, now wants to take matters into its own hands and is looking to oversee the elections processes at the country’s sports federations. Such elections can become contentious. Previously, there have been disputes in elections at the hockey and football federations. The PFF has been under a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee for the last five years. The PHF, at several points over the last few years, has had two parallel bodies due to disputes amongst competing factions.

The PSB’s move is already ruffling feathers among sports federations and it is once again expected to face resistance, with the threat of international suspensions being the most immediate concern as most global bodies discourage political interference in the running of their affiliates. Once again, there will be conflict if the PSB pushes its way to obtain powers to conduct elections of the national sports bodies. Instead, it would be better if it first formulated a new sports policy. Across the border in India, every sports federation abides by its National Sports Code; even the international bodies dare not step over those bonds in case of conflict. There is no way around that code, which was drafted by the country’s top athletes and officials. And the PSB should take a leaf out of its book; instead of embarking on a collision course, it must work on a new policy that focuses on the uplift of sports, better funding mechanisms and good governance. Other matters can be dealt with later.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024