Transforming Sports Governance in India: Towards a Transparent and Athlete-Centered System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68219/h2zfnf63Keywords:
Sports Governance, Sports Administration, Institutional Reform, Good Governance, Grievance RedressalAbstract
Sports governance is critical to the functioning, integrity, transparency and sustainability of the sporting system in India. Competitive, professional and international sports have led to the emergence of strong governance that is accountable and puts athletes at the centre of institutional decision making. Although sports administration and policy has evolved, transparency, financial accountability, athlete representation, selection procedures, welfare, grievance redressal and institutional oversight have continued to be a topic of focus. This research examines the institutional and governance framework of sports in India and calls for an improvement in the transparency and athlete-centered system. The qualitative analysis of sports policies, institutional regulations, official reports, governance frameworks and literature as well as other aspects of sports governance is key in the study. The study looks at transparency, accountability, athlete representation, welfare, integrity and grievance redressal as the six interrelated aspects of athlete-centered governance. As a result of these dimensions, the athlete-centered sports governance framework to be developed will strengthen athlete participation, institutional accountability, procedural fairness, and recourse for grievance relief. Achieving structural change in Indian sports governance can only happen if there are institutional mechanisms for athletes to be involved in decision-making in sports governance and how the decision-making process is being done for the betterment of sports governance. The proposed framework is a conceptual framework to strengthen transparency, accountability and athlete participation in India’s evolving sports governance system
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