Sports Freedom Is A Chicken And String Affair

Written by Pio Sioa
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Going through the passage of debate in Parliament is legislation to allow Government to set up a sports tribunal to hear grievances in sports. The legislation has strong opposition written all over it, with protesting MPs and sports organizations poised to argue the involvement of politics in sports – always a sensitive issue. Controversy has in fact already reared its disruptive head early in the debate, with the ejection of MP Asiata Saleimoa from the House for disrespecting the rule of the Speaker. It is not the first time the MP has been booted out of the House and not just by the current sitting Speaker either. If he is to be effective in his political career MP Asiata should consider anger management therapy. But that aside the Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi spoke in the House about the need for the tribunal, and there is a lot of merit in having an arbitrating body in place. The PM was recently involved in trying to find a solution for the weightlifting controversy, and already has a taste of the stubborn emotions involved. In fighting by the various sporting executives is commonplace. In some instances they have been able to resolve their differences. Sadly for others, it eventually reaches the stage where they end up doing more harm than good to the development of the young talent. Protracted differences will not only erode progress in the development of the sport involved, but deny the promising young talent the chances for international exposure and onwards to success. So many sad stories abound of budding young men and women who faded into the unknown after a brief appearance in the public eye. Some were even denied the opportunity to compete because of personal differences they had nothing to do with. So having a tribunal in place is a must. Dissenting parties in the argument will have a neutral body to rule on the merits of the opposing views. The neutrality of the tribunal is shaping up to be the root cause of protests and blame on political interference. Political influence on sports is always a hot issue, between the politicians and the sporting leaders and for good reasons to. Sports is supposed to be free from politicians manipulating the appeal of friendly and clean rivalry on the sporting arena for their own advantage. This has always been the standard argument where politics and sports are concerned. But the boundaries separating the two have become so blurred it has made the lines of argument very difficult. While the sporting bodies are fiercely guarded about their independence, it is difficult for them to claim true sovereignty when they are dependent on Government for financial support. Every time they call on financial handouts from Government, they are allowing at the same time, political influence to claim a stake in their decision making process. Every sporting body in Samoa is a beggar when they want to send teams to participate in international competition, or agree to host an international sporting event. One has only to consider the hosting of the 2007 South Pacific Games in Samoa to appreciate the huge financial investment by Government, to make it possible for our national sporting body, SASNOC, to host the regional Games. The PM even qualified the establishment of a tribunal on the financial support Government will eventually be asked to provide to send the weightlifting team and others to the Beijing Olympics. Sporting organizations may argue the right as taxpayers to dip into the national coffer, but even if they have the right to make the claim, Government is the elected body entrusted with the purse strings. They can either pull it shut or keep it open as they see fit. So when it comes to independence for sporting organizations, the hard reality is simple, unless they are self-funded, the politicians will always hold a deciding influence on the development of sports in the country. The only hope of a real breakout for sporting bodies is when Samoa is developed to the stage where they can depend on corporate endorsements or sponsorship from the private sector, as it is done in the United States and other developed countries. As for a tribunal they can claim to be free from political support, the best option they have right now is to call on financial support from their respective international sporting organizations or from any of the Olympic Funding Movement. Apparently there are avenues for international funding of a sporting tribunal. What has happened to that? SASNOC should look into that possibility if they really want to start claiming true independence from political influence. It is not realistic to argue against political interference when it is the same hand they are forced to feed from when they go hungry. Ideally, sporting bodies have to be left alone to exercise their rights as they see fit, but left with little other financial recourse, they will always be subject to the demands of the country’s political masters. Unless the political agenda is genuinely for the good of sports development, noble intentions as opposed to political gains will always be suspect. The reality right now of true independence for SASNOC is akin to a chicken allowed to roam as freely as the length of string tied to its leg allows it. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment
Last Updated ( Monday, 24 March 2008 )

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