Introduction:
India is a country with utmost talent in the field of sports. Hockey, Cricket, Badminton, Football and many more are cherished by the youngsters and many of them make a career in these fields. India supports this involvement of youth by conducting various national and international events where the talented sportsmen can show their strengths and win the matches against the other sportsmen. But there are many things that have to be considered while conducting the events. At times, there are some contestants that choose unfair means to win matches, not only this, there are many instances where strict and abundant laws have to be enacted to protect the sanctity of the events. Sports should be played with utmost truth and fairness and anyone who dismays the same shall be liable for his/her actions.
Unfortunately, India has very limited laws and the matters of unjust means are held or listened to in the supreme court or high courts of India. This causes an issue because the judges of the Supreme Court and High Court do not have the same level of expertise in the field of sports and hence, sometimes the decisions made can be unfair. Hence, emergence of Law and Regulation in the field of Sports is very important in India so as to develop and contribute to the sports jurisprudence. Countries like USA, France, China, and many more have laid strong emphasis on sports law which make their sportsmen excel even more in the field.
In the recent times, we have seen and read about many inappropriate sports news which have shook the nation. The IPL Match Fixing in which Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from playing the IPL for 2 years straight. Other than this allegation of sexual assaults, Olympic Games Scandal, Betting, Drugs, etc. are many things that we come across the news every now and then. But does the Indian Government have proper laws and regulations to control the same?
The Indian government established the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to promote, develop and excel in the field of sports in both national and international competitions. A few of the regulatory bodies which govern sports law in India are National Sports Policy, Sports Law and Welfare Association of India, and Sports Authority of India. Each regulatory body has a specific aim they need to fulfill for the welfare of the sports community.
National Sports Policy:
The history of national sports policy can be taken back to August 1984, when the policy was laid in the Parliamentary house. The sole aim of the policy was to improve the very standards of sports in the country. The objective of the national sports policy was to develop the infrastructure, integrate sports with education, access of proper and high-quality equipment’s and training to sportsmen, development of national sports federation, etc.
Sport Law and Welfare Association of India:
A non-profit organization which professionally operates with the aim to appreciate, advance, and ethically practice sports law in India by teaming up with legal practitioners and sportsmen. This organization provides consultation with reference to issues relating to sports law, governing bodies of different sports, intellectual property matter in the sports domain, etc. The organization helps in the exchange of views and perspective between different individuals by providing a platform where lawyers represent the athletes, the team, the leagues, the institute, etc.
Sports Authority of India:
This authority was set up to conduct various sports events in India and to strengthen the sports field and indulge into various events like academic programs, physical education awareness, enhancement of skills of Indian Athletes, etc.
In India, sporting events and competitions have a huge influence and millions see such competitions directly in stadiums as audience or at their homes through national television. And hence, these events have huge significance in India.
But these laws, policies, and regulatory bodies are only concerned with the improvement of sports or improvement of sports facilities, or sharing of views and perspectives. None of them have strict laws for violation of rules and regulations in the sports events. There are many unjust ways through which a sportsman can violate the rules and regulations of the sport. Not only unjust means of play, but unfair contract with the owners, broadcasting issues, match fixing, etc. do exist in the sports field and has to be taken into serious consideration and sooner or later rules governing the same should be laid down.
Usage of Drugs which are banned:
The most common and serious issue relating to sports is the use of drugs in competitions. Many sportsmen use drugs to improve their performance which strengthens their core and lets them get an upper hand among the other contestants. These sportsmen when caught are just penalized for the same. But this is a grave concern and the governing bodies need to come up with serious laws to hold these sportsmen accountable for their action and keep corruption in sports in check. Discouraging these activities since the very beginning would help the other sportsmen not to take such path and develop their skills with their own strength which would be beneficial for the country and the individual as well.
Betting and Match Fixing:
Some Athletes or Teams fix there matches before the start of the match and voluntarily lose or win a match in exchange of something more valuable. This needs to stop as it is a direct violation of fair play. It does not matter if it is a small game of chess or a big international match of cricket, Match Fixing should be deemed as a crime and the such corruptible activities should be a major concern. Betting and Gambling are also taken under corruptible acts after a certain extent because this indirectly results in profit and remove the actual essence of sports.
Issues relating to broadcasting events:
The grant of broadcasting rights of a particular sporting event causes a great controversy as many television channels want to broadcast the event for a bigger viewership. This needs urgent measures of introspection which can reduce the ruckus so caused.
There are also some issues that can arise between a sportsmen and his/her owner. For instance, a footballer who wants to retire in peace after a long period of time is denied of the same and is forced to play a few more matches for his team by the owner of the team. This is a grave violation of the player’s right and should be taken seriously. Many a times, owners tend to manipulate the player by increasing the working hours, reducing remuneration, degrading the working condition of the player in terms of training, etc. and the players face trouble in serving the team with his/her best efforts and hence, there should be proper rules and regulations for this to not happen to any sportsmen.
Conclusion:
Sports being famous and also an important part of the Indian culture gains more and more attention with each day passing by and hence, needs proper laws and regulations for covering the grey areas as discussed above. The existing policies and regulatory bodies are not enough for the grave and serious difficulties and issues faced by the sportsmen in the game. The wrongdoers need to be held accountable and be punished for their actions for a fair opportunity to the other contestants. Every sport event should be fair and just and the Indian Government needs to formulate laws for the same. Being a country with mostly youths, proper implementation of sports law would attract more talent in the sports field which would make India a even more strong competitor in the International events which would be a huge moment of honor and respect.
References:
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Authority_of_India
· https://yas.nic.in/sites/default/files/File918.compressed.pdf
· https://blog.ipleaders.in/need-reforms-indian-sports-law/#Problems_marring_the_Sports_in_India
· https://blog.ipleaders.in/emerging-sports-law-india/
· http://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-3287-shortcoming-of-sports-law-in-india.html
