New Delhi: Eminent sports personalities came out in support of the revised National Sports Development Bill on Thursday and criticised the opposing Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the BCCI, while calling for a healthy debate on the issue.
The stars stated that the bill was not only about cricket, but 66 other disciplines as well.
The panel, including eight former sports icons and Pankaj Advani, said the IOA should read the bill properly first and then point out any specific clauses which they think are intrusive.
"I think the IOA is ill-informed, they are not against it. It is a hard mentality. The athletes are the most important part of any sport and this bill will create a system which will get us more medals. It is a step in the right direction," former India tennis player Manisha Malhotra said.
The sportspersons also welcomed the provisions for providing 25 percent reservation to athletes in the executive bodies of different federations.
Former India football skipper Baichung Bhutia said the bill at no point interferes with the working of the federations.
"The IOA is shooting in the air. It is a misconception that the bill interferes with the federations. We are supporting the 25 percent representation for players as for the first time it brings sportspersons in the picture. This bill is a great initiative."
Former sprint queen Ashwini Nachappa said neither the IOA or any opposing federation have so far come out with any sort of explanation.
"Nobody has come out to explain which are the clauses which are intrusive. It is a blind statement to term the bill as draconian. Actually the bill is just trying to incorporate what is there in the International Olympic Charter," Nachappa said in a media interaction organized by FICCI on Thursday.
Former India cricket skipper Kapil Dev said it is a shame that some federations do not want sportspersons to come forward and be a part of the administrative process.
"If you can't even give 25 percent representation to the sportspersons who have given their entire life to the game, then what can we expect," he said.
"India can do 100 percent better if we have the right policies. It is a first initiative to bring sportspersons to the fore and it is a shame that some people don't want us to come forward."
Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha encouraged a healthy debate which could mould public opinion about the bill.
"It would professionalise sports and encourage the youth to take up sports. We are not against IOA nor it is a 'BCCI vs bill' issue. We want to have a healthy debate and have a bill which is inclusive in nature," he said.
Asked if there was a possibility of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banning India from taking part in the quadrennial event, Athens Olympics silver-medalist shooter Rajvardhan Singh Rathore said, "On what basis can the IOC ban India from the Olympics? Is the bill so wrong?"
"We know it has been disapproved by the Cabinet and we know why it is so. People who have vested interests should stay away from taking decisions."
Rathore also appealed to the media to support the initiative and generate public opinion on the issue, so that the bill can be passed in the Cabinet.
Former shotgun marksman Moraad Ali Khan, who is currently a government observer, however, said that the IOC can ban India.
"It can be possible but that is something for the IOA to fight. If they are for sports in the country, then they will support the bill and ensure that the sportspersons do not suffer and they will fight for it," he said.
Putting his weight behind the bill, badminton legend Prakash Padukone said the bill will raise the standard of sports in the country.
"It is good for Indian sports. If you go through the bill in detail, you will find the athletes are the main persons addressed and it will definitely raise the standard of the game and help India to win more medals. It is not against any individual or federation."
India's only individual Olympic gold-medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra also extended his "whole-hearted" support to the bill in a recorded message and said it would help in fulfilling the aspirations of the future generation.
"For the first time in my career I am seeing that honest steps are being taken to help sports and sportspersons. I whole-heartedly support the bill and urge the cabinet to approve it in the winter session."
Former India spinner and current BJP MP Kirti Azad also spoke in support of the bill in another recorded message, saying it will clearly streamline the functioning of sports federations and bring in efficiency and transparency.
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