Sports Minister MS Gill on Tuesday said the new regulation that seeks to limit the tenure of sports administrators has the backing of all political parties and is in fact a softer version of the original 1975 guideline.
Gill was rather taken aback by the reaction of the chiefs of various National Sports Federations (NSF) who vehemently opposed the regulation, questioning its timing since it came barely five months before the Commonwealth Games in the capital.
In an interview, the Sports Minister said he was requested by all political parties to limit the tenure of sports administrators.
"On April 22, there was a full debate on my ministry in the Rajya Sabha and all parties, barring none, urged me to have the regulation to limit terms (of the sports administrators), this being the demand of the sports people and the public for long," Gill said.
"I studied the issue with my officers and gave a considered order which should be read and re-read for total understanding," he said.
Gill said all he did was to bring back an old regulation and in fact relaxed the norm to allow NSF presidents to continue for 12 years, instead of eight suggested by the original 1975 guideline.
{{/usCountry}}Gill said all he did was to bring back an old regulation and in fact relaxed the norm to allow NSF presidents to continue for 12 years, instead of eight suggested by the original 1975 guideline.
{{/usCountry}}"I have only restored the regulation of the Indira Gandhi government. For the sake of the federation office-bearers, I have in fact softened the regulation and it's milder than the 1975 direction," he said.