Date:15/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091554780600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Inflation deflates sportsman spirit

Syed Muthahar Saqaf

TIRUCHI: Inflation has rallied past the capacities of sports promoters to conduct tournaments.

Organising sports events has become a more costly affair these days, forcing them to adopt various austerity measures. Any letup in conducting the tournaments under the garb of inflation will not only affect the sports bodies financially but also the sportspersons individually.

As a majority of the tournaments are meticulously planned with sponsorship from various sectors, any postponement or cancellation will prove costly to the organisers. This will also drive away the sponsors from extending financial help in the future.

Even the cricket association, considered an affluent, is facing the pinch of inflation. Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) allotted Rs. 3,000 for every team participating in its recognised tournament for travelling, boarding and lodging expenses. Knowing very well that the teams will not be able to manage with this meagre amount, the TNCA has hiked the same to Rs. 5,000 per team this year.

This is a wise and welcome move of the TNCA, observed a local team manager. The district associations holding the TNCA tournaments have to incur increased expenses. The daily food allowance has been hiked from Rs. 60 to Rs. 75 per player and the wages for the markers from Rs. 100 to Rs. 150. The umpire fee has also been raised from Rs. 120 to Rs. 150 for a single match and from Rs. 170 to Rs. 200 for double matches, he says.

How do the colleges and schools manage their sports calendar ? “Yes we too feel the gravity of skyrocketing prices”, says the Director of Physical Education of a college. “Our budget for this year’s State level inter-collegiate hockey and basketball tournaments has been revised. The college management was kind enough to sanction a few thousand rupees more this time”.

“We adopt various austerity measures like providing accommodation for outstation teams in the classrooms itself or in the hostels at subsidised rate”.

The colleges feel the pinch of rising prices in maintaining their teams and while sending their teams to take part in outstation tournaments.