On 6 June 2020, I had written a piece in The Daily Guardian wherein I had recommended that the recognition of School Games Federation of India (SGFI) should be given top priority as it would help lakhs of budding sportsmen to grow. The Ministry of Youth and Sports Affair had filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court “reviewing its earlier decision” and has now agreed to grant provisional recognition to SGFI till September 2020. I wonder what went right in the favour of SGFI between 11 May and 16 June 2020!
Maybe the voice of The Daily Guardian was heard loud and clear by the ministry. As the recognition is granted on the pretext of “Weaker Section of Society”, one has to ask, what will happen till September 2020 in school sports? All of us are aware that amidst the pandemic, schools will not be opening for a while and none of the SGFI events will take place before September 2020 whatsoever. The only reason for granting the recognition till September 2020 is just to keep SGFI at par with other associations. However, it is solace that the recognition will regularise the certificate of the last session and the students will be having an upper hand to secure an admission in higher education, and in some cases, they can avail scholarships at various levels. However, it is still under the veil as to why the recognition was not given for the full academic session which would have helped clear a lot of dust regarding the participation in forthcoming events.
The saga of “de-recognition and recognition of SGFI” involves 91 activities with almost 63,000 players participating at the national, district, and the state level is humongous. The confusion which would be created by this recognition will have a direct impact on “the participation and preparation of young athletes”, because they would be uncertain about their future after September 2020. It is pertinent to know that in the Khelo India School Games the top 8 sportspeople are from the SGFI National Games, and as to how Khelo India School Games will pick up participants without SGFI, the question lingers. The ministry should consider the career prospects of lakhs of upcoming athletes as the short-term recognition of the games will play a spoilsport in young minds. The year 2020 by and large has been a year of misfortune and this particular news can shatter the career and dreams of the talent pool of our country. After speaking to a lot of athletes, who are worried and uncertain about their future, I got to know that most of them pin their hopes of pursuing higher education in the country and abroad solely on the SGFI certification. It’s also important to see that SGFI certification holds considerable weightage in higher education and scholarship awards.
If confusion of recognition and derecognition can be solved in the sports court rather than the legal court, the budding star of our country will have an easier path in achieving the best rather than living in a state of confusion and trauma. I hope that the voice of The Daily Guardian will once again be heard by the ministry and we will hear good news soon.
The writer is a sports guru.
