Olympians Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, and Leander Paes Join India’s New Sports Experts Advisory Committee
Patiala, 10 February (Sports Desk)
In a bid to elevate Indian sports to global standards, a 17-member Sports Experts Advisory Committee has been formed under the leadership of Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Headlined by renowned Olympic medalists Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, and Leander Paes, the committee is set to drive initiatives focused on identifying and nurturing junior talent, ensuring transparent national team selections, and rigorously monitoring coaching standards at training camps.
Leander Paes, a bronze medallist from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, teams up with Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal—both bronze medallists from the 2012 London Olympics—to spearhead this transformative effort. Alongside them, notable members from diverse sports include athletics’ Shiny Abraham, shooter Heena Sidhu, rowing expert Maj Gen VK Bhatt, hockey stalwart Zafar Iqbal, sailor PK Garg, football veteran Armando Colaco, wrestling figure Ashok Kumar, swimmer Bhanu Sachdeva, and para-badminton star Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar.
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The committee also features a host of esteemed coaches and top officials, such as the CEO of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and the Executive Director of Teams Division at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), ensuring a robust support system for its strategic objectives.
Key Focus Areas Include:
- Talent Identification and Development: Prioritizing the nurturing of young athletes and building a strong foundation for future champions.
- Transparent Selections: Implementing clear, merit-based processes for national team selections.
- Coaching Standards: Evaluating both Indian and international coaches, monitoring progress at national camps, and providing performance reviews.
- Performance Oversight: Keeping track of India’s performance in global events while addressing athlete grievances with National Sports Federations (NSFs).
- Strategic Guidance: Offering informed inputs to SAI and NSFs for Long-Term Development Plans (LTDPs), aligning NSF structures with global best practices, and reducing legal disputes related to selection policies.
- Enhanced Communication and Infrastructure: Strengthening direct communication channels between athletes and the government, improving NSF governance, and ensuring top-notch event arrangements and facilities.
To further bolster these efforts, a parallel 17-member Sports Expert Panel has been established. This panel comprises elite athletes, seasoned coaches, and top officials, including names like Dola Banerjee (archery), Bhairavi Naik (cycling), Mohan Ukkrapandian (volleyball), Alka Tomar (wrestling), Shiv Singh (boxing), Ashwini Nachappa (athletics), Rani Rampal (hockey), Deepak Hooda (kabaddi), Vijender Singh (boxing), R Rajan (basketball), Saurav Ghosal (squash), Cawas Billimoria (judo), Hansa Sharma (weightlifting), Devender Kumar Rathore (gymnastics), Debasish Biswas (mountain climbing), Rahul Choksi (mallakhamb), and Rachna Sharma (athletics).
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Together, the Sports Experts Advisory Committee and its accompanying expert panel are poised to make significant strides in athlete development, governance, and infrastructure, thereby setting the stage for Indian sports to reach unprecedented heights on the world stage.
