Country’s new Sports Minister MS Gill has made it clear that his ministry will uphold the Olympic charter and refrain from tinkering with the autonomy of the National Sports Federations (NSF).

“In the world of sports, autonomy of the sports federations is very strongly protected by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and government can’t just get in there,” Gill, who replaced Mani Shankar Aiyar as the new Youth Affairs and Sports Minister on Sunday, told NDTV.

After the failure of the Indian men’s hockey team to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, government intervention was sought from various quarters to oust the KPS Gill-led regime in the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).

Though the new minister is aware of hockey’s plight in the country, he virtually ruled out any such interference.
“I have followed the current controversy and what all happened...KPS Gill comes from the same college as I do and we read the same subject, literature. So when time comes, if I have to look at it, I will of course look at hockey,” he said.

Gill learned mountaineering from Tenzing Norgay and he also played cricket. “I was a cricketer, who used to be a very good left-arm bowler, but a bad fielder, as all Indians are even today,” he quipped.

Aiyar’s tenure was marked by frequent war of words with the Indian Olympic Association and its president Suresh Kalmadi. The IOA felt Aiyar’s plans for a new sports policy were tantamount to interfering in the autonomy of the National sports federations.

Aiyar also did not agree with IOA’s plans to bid for and host big international events. He advocated supporting sport at the lower levels and worked towards it.

Understandably, IOA welcomed the change at the sports ministry. IOA General Secretary Randhir Singh said the sports body was looking forward to Gill’s tenure in the Olympic year. “Gill has been a member of the Olympic family and has always been an important part of it. He had gone as an official with the India contingent in Mexico Games in 1968,” he said.