JOIN USBAI chief refuses govt funding
At loggerheads with the Sports Ministry over its June 13 elections in Chennai, BAI thus became the first National Sports Federation after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to claim financial self-sufficiency and refuse government aid.
“Badminton Association of India (BAI) doesn’t need to follow the government guidelines because like BCCI, we are financially self-sufficient and we can run the international calendar without taking a single rupee from the government in future,” Verma, who has been in office for the past 12 years, said from London.
“By astute marketing, we have lined up sponsorship to the amount of Rs 5-6 crore and we are self-sufficient,” he added.
After the controversy over the Ministry’s tenure-limitation guidelines started, the Indian Olympic Association had also refused government funding.
But despite its refusal to accept government funds in future, it is unclear whether BAI will be able to keep the Ministry at bay come June 13.
“... even if BAI were to be become financially independent, it does not mean that it could treat government as an outsider as sports is a public good and sports development is a public service and therefore, no sports federation can claim that it can act as a private body without public accountability,” Joint Secretary (Sports) Injeti Srinivas stated in a letter to Verma.
BAI’s opposition notwithstanding, the Ministry has appointed Director (Sports) Deepika Kachhal as the observer for the AGM, threatening the body with de-recognition in case of non-compliance with government regulations.