University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Alberta Gambling Research Institute Alberta Gambling Research Institute 2011-11 Corruption in Sports in India Misra, Ashutosh; Vikram, Abhishek ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security http://hdl.handle.net/1880/49799 journal article Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca Briefing paper November 2011 >issue 7 The eradication of corruption in developing Corruption in Sports in India economies is a challenge. Opportunities illicitly to acquire power and economic status are derived from employment in government, Dr Ashutosh Misra and Mr Abhishek Vikram judicial and political offices. The implementation of anti-corruption strategies, and promotion of India has captured the world’s imagination with its dazzling economic growth transparency and accountability at state levels can and rise in international affairs. Its global ascent is underpinned by a robust be thwarted by beneficiaries of corruption, who are economy, growing at the rate of 9 percent and estimated to reach 10 percent also tasked to govern. The tragedy of corruption is during the next two years. However, this new found affluence has its flip side that, often, there are direct and indirect effects in too, in the form of horizontal and vertical corruption that has besieged the countries where poverty is rife. India is an example country. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions of the challenges in combating corruption, with a Index 2010, India ranks a dismal 87 out of 188 countries, falling three notches rapidly developing economy, large population and since 2009. During the 1970s, a prominent social activist and crusader of high rates of poverty. democratic freedom, Jai Prakash Narain, had said that India’s poor state of health was a consequence of corruption and a precipitous fall of moral stan- This Briefing Paper addresses corruption in India dards in both politics and public life. Ever since, it has plummeted further, from the unique perspective of sport. Corruption affecting all aspects of government functioning and public life, and sport is in sport is not new, but as this paper demonstrates, no exception. for India, the exposure of illicit practices in cricket and other sports is illustrative of the challenges Corruption is no stranger to India and its culmination in scale and magnitude and shame that corruption can bring for a country during the 2010 Commonwealth Games subjected the government to global which takes pride in its sporting prowess. The shame and scorn. The Indian government ended up spending 18-fold more examples outlined in this paper indicate that a than the $400 million originally allocated in 2003 for the Games, an amount strong nexus exists between corrupt practices in that supposedly could have funded three Olympic Games. It is deeply dis- government and sport. Pervasive corruption has led turbing to find corruption of such magnitude in a country whose poverty line, to negative international and domestic perceptions according to World Bank figures (2005), is very low by international stan- on the integrity of India’s sporting bodies, teams dards, and where 80 percent of the rural population lives below the median and representatives. As this Briefing Paper notes, developing-country poverty line of $2 a day. Several trillion dollars of unac- however, Indian activists are gaining increased counted for money remains locked in Swiss banks which the Indian govern- community support for greater transparency, ment is finding hard to retrieve. Post-Games, the first major action taken by accountability and integrity in government and the Government was to demand the resignation of two top officials, the- Or sport, albeit in small, but significant, steps. ganising Committee Chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, and Secretary General, Lalit Bhanot. Both Kalmadi and Bhanot have since been arrested, and are being interrogated by the investigation agencies. Today, corruption plagues all major Indian sports, including cricket, hockey, weightlifting, and athletics. The first major sporting scandal was reported during the 1990s, involving match-fixing by Indian cricketers through a Pro- Dr Ruth Delaforce tean bookie, Mukesh Gupta. This scandal led to the fall from grace of crick- Editor eting demi-gods, namely, the then skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay CEPS Research Fellow Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Nayan Mongia and Ajay Sharma. As the scandal unfolded, several international cricketers were also linked, including Hansie Briefing paper Briefing paper Conje (South Africa), Arjuna Ranatunga and contesting for executive positions and brought Indian hockey to an all time (Sri Lanka), Arvinda de Silva (Sri Lanka), in sports bodies. Recently the group low. Brian Lara (West Indies), Martin Crowe succeeded in persuading Pallam Raju, (New Zealand), Dean Jones (Australia), Minister of State for Defence, to with- In weightlifting, while India has pro- Mark Waugh (Australia), Shane Warne draw from the race for President of the duced world class lifters, the sport has (Australia), Salem Malik (Pakistan) and Equestrian Federation of India. But in a also had its own share of scandals and Alec Stewart (England). The decision by setback for the group, the President of controversies. In 2005, a bribe scandal the Board of Control for Cricket in India Clean Sports India, Pargat Singh, a for- surfaced over the selection of dope- (BCCI) to ban Azharuddin for life and Ajay mer hockey skipper, lost to the 83 year tainted lifter, Shailja Pujari, in the Beijing Jadeja for 5 years sent a strong message old veteran Congress politician, Vidya Olympic squad. In July 2010, the Indian to Indian cricketers, and match-fixing Stokes, in the election for President of Weightlifting Federation had to suspend scandals have reduced drastically. It the Indian Hockey Federation; this exam- its coach, Ramesh Malhotra, over charg- should be noted, however, that BCCI’s ple illustrates the extent of political hold es of sexually harassing junior lifters. own dubious record over the years has on sporting bodies in India. However, the impeded its authority to be more forth- success of former cricketers with high In July 2011, the Indian Sports Minis- right in checking corruption. credentials and reputation, Anil Kumble try sacked Yuri Ogrodnik, the Ukrainian and Javagal Srinath, in getting elected to coach of Indian Athletics, after six female Now corruption has a new avatar, in the Karnataka State Cricket Association 400 metre runners, a female shot-putter the shape of a $4 billion Indian Premier augurs well for Indian cricket, and hope- and a male long-jumper all returned League (IPL), which has seen its former fully will lead to similar credible appoint- positive results in doping tests, marking Commissioner, Lalit Modi, resign and flee ments in hockey the rapidly growing trend of banned sub- to London over charges of gross financial stance abuse among Indian athletes. irregularities. The 2010 IPL franchise bid- In the meantime, the state of Indian ding process also led to the resignation hockey continues to be abysmal. For- On the policy front, in 2011, the Indian of Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for mer world champions and Olympic gold Government has proposed a National External Affairs, whose friend and cur- medallist, India now struggles to even Sports Bill to curb corruption and ensure rent wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was alleged win Asian tournaments. Indian Hockey that all sport federations comply with to have received $15 million in ‘sweat Federation (IHF) President, K.P.S. Gill, a the Olympics Charter by subjecting their equity’ from one of the franchises. former Indian police officer, has been -of offices to annual audits. The Bill provides ficiating for many years. Gill’s long-term for a Sports Ombudsman to resolve In recent years, the BCCI has also been appointment has divided the Federation, disputes in sports, prevent age and sex marred by financial irregularities and the hockey fraternity and players, and fraud and doping, and to make all sports bitter turf wars between different lobby over time, has significantly affected the bodies comply with the Right to Informa- groups. Nonetheless, BCCI’s mammoth team’s performance. The IHF is also in- tion Act, 2005. financial clout has given it a dominat- volved in a fierce spat with the Women’s ing influence in the International Cricket Federation and Hockey India (HI) over During the Commonwealth Games, the Council (ICC) decision-making, much to the merger modalities. IHF’s labelling of lack of suitable legislation for the organ- the resentment of other international HI officials as ‘highly corrupt’ has caused isation of mega sport events deeply af- cricket boards. This influence is further a great deal of squabbling in the media. fected India’s objectives, in contrast to augmented by the political weight that The 2010 Women’s Hockey World Cup, other international models, such as the the BCCI holds nationally. It is currently held in New Delhi, was hit by a financial Sydney Olympics 2000, Melbourne Com- headed by Sharad Pawar, a Minister and corruption scandal involving the Federa- monwealth Games 2006, Glasgow Com- leading political heavy-weight in Indian tion of International Hockey (FIH), Indian monwealth Games 2014 and London politics, who is also President of the ICC. Olympic Association (IOA) and HI. Suresh Olympics 2014. These models enshrine Kalmadi, the IOA chief, was again said to appropriate legislations to regulate the In June 2010, appalled by the Com- be involved in financial corruption dur- functioning of organising committees monwealth Games corruption scandal, ing arrangements for the World Cup. and judicious dealing with key issues former Indian Olympians launched the IHF, too, was suspended in 2008 by the such as transport, ticketing, land acquisi- Group of Clean Sports India to raise IOA over an alleged bribery for selection tion, intellectual property, broadcasting public awareness and fight corruption in scandal. In addition, sex scandals involv- and licensing rights.