If one expected the warring officials of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to keep quiet when life has come to a standstill, they are doing just the opposite. The fight between the factions headed by the president and secretary continues, revealing once again that sports officialdom in India remains a field of ego battles. The tussle reached a stage where the president suspended the secretary. Calling it a violation of the AICF constitution, the secretary called a meeting to oust the president. It is difficult to ascertain after a point which side is going by the rules. The point to note is, everything happened after India came under lockdown to prevent the coronavirus outbreak.
The episode demonstrates that settling personal goals often matters more to these administrators. Occupying influential positions in the federations gives birth to a sense of power. Barring a handful, most want to remain in these posts. Those not in power, on the other hand, do not mind resorting to unfair means to destabilise the establishment. It earns the federation a bad name, but those looking to protect or snatch chairs don’t care. In the present case, a global lockdown due to the pandemic has not prevented them from continuing with their theatrics. It may seem unbelievable, but the governing body of chess in a country that produced Viswanathan Anand could not pay salaries to its employees due to complications caused by the infighting.
The AICF is not an isolated case. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, Indian Olympic Association, national federations running boxing, gymnastics, rowing and several other sports have witnessed instability due to battles to wrest authority. Hardly a month goes by without some federation or the other making headlines for such reasons. Neither the National Sports Development Code of 2011—drafted to ensure transparency, accountability and efficiency in governance—nor numerous court orders have been able to curb this. Antics in the chess body underline just how disrespectful of the surroundings and the need of the hour these officials can be.