Indian Sport’s Deepest Crisis Is Bureaucracy, Not Talent or Ambition

Indian sport does not suffer from a shortage of talent, drive, or ambition. What continues to undermine its progress is an entrenched and often indifferent bureaucracy that routinely humiliates the very athletes it is meant to support. A recent viral incident involving national record-holding pole vaulter Dev Meena has once again brought this uncomfortable truth into sharp focus.

Meena and his teammates, including inter-university champion Kuldeep Yadav, were forced to deboard a train after railway officials refused to allow them to carry pole vaulting equipment inside the coach. The equipment was reportedly dismissed as “steel pipes,” and the athletes were asked to pay a penalty. Images of coaches pleading with officials quickly spread online, symbolising a system where years of discipline and national representation can be reduced to administrative inconvenience.

What made the episode particularly troubling was its familiarity. Nearly two decades ago, India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra described similar experiences in his autobiography, documenting how officials often hinder rather than help athletes. The fact that such grievances remain unchanged underscores a failure of institutional learning.

This was not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, school wrestlers from Odisha representing their state at a national competition were forced to sit on a train floor near a toilet after authorities failed to confirm their tickets. In 2022, athletes training at Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium alleged that sessions were cut short to accommodate a senior bureaucrat’s personal routine, triggering national outrage and eventual administrative action only after public scrutiny.

More recently, at the Elite National Boxing Championships, boxers and support staff from several states were reportedly evicted from their accommodation late at night due to booking lapses, leaving them stranded in near-freezing temperatures. Resolution arrived only after hours of distress, highlighting how crisis management often replaces basic planning.

These episodes reveal a structural problem rather than individual missteps. Across disciplines, athletes remain vulnerable to federations and officials who wield unchecked power over selections, training camps, and international exposure. Governance gaps have also affected entire sports. The Wrestling Federation of India, suspended in 2023 and reinstated only in 2025, left wrestlers without crucial international opportunities. Indian football continues to struggle under administrative instability within the All India Football Federation, where inconsistent planning and leadership churn have stalled growth.

Even at the apex level, dysfunction persists. A prolonged power struggle within the Indian Olympic Association paralysed decision-making through 2024 and early 2025, affecting athlete preparation and policy execution.

Recognising these systemic failures, the Sports Ministry appointed Abhinav Bindra to head a task force in 2025. The panel’s report highlighted untrained officials, lack of accountability, and the dominance of individuals ill-equipped to manage modern sport. It recommended professionalising sports administration through structured training, independent oversight, and athlete-centric governance.

India’s ambition to host the 2036 Olympic Games cannot rest solely on infrastructure and bidding documents. Respect for athletes, administrative accountability, and everyday dignity are foundational. Until governance learns to serve rather than control, medals will continue to carry the hidden weight of what athletes endured simply to compete. Talent may win events, but systems decide futures—and Indian sport urgently needs a system worthy of its athletes.