The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has moved towards getting substantial athletes representation in the governance of various sports. The IOA athlete commission held its meeting yesterday deliberating to create an athlete-centric enviornment in the apex sporting body of the Olympic movement.
Attended by table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal, Olympian OP Karhana, Shiva Keshavan, PV Sindhu, Rani Rampal, the committee was also helped by inputs from Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang.
Establishment of athletes department
One of the key decisions to come out of the meeting is the establishment of a dedicated within the IOA, which will be staffed with professionals committed to addressing athlete needs. This department will play a pivotal role in ensuring that athletes have a structured channel for feedback and support.
Another primary focus of the Commission was to ensure robust athlete representation in governance structure. To achieve this, 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.
Transition after sports
One of the major problem areas in Indian sports is the transition of the athletes to normal life after their sporting career is over.
The IOA Commission proposed the development of an athlete career pathway that would provide opportunities in coaching, administration, and other fields beyond sports. To demonstrate its commitment, the IOA will hire two Olympian interns who will contribute to the initiatives and programs of the Athletes Commission. The financial framework for these initiatives was also a key point of discussion.
The IOA Commission acknowledged the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which provide $10,000 and $5,000 grants, respectively These funds will be instrumental in organizing a National Athletes Forum later this year, which will bring together representatives from each National Sports Federation to discuss athlete-centric issues and chart the future course of athlete engagement in India.
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