New Delhi: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur, who is also a Lok Sabha MP, has introduced three private member bills including a significant National Sports Ethics Commission bill which recommends “10 years of jail term” for any sportsperson indulging in match-fixing.
It is a significant step taken by Thakur considering that the BCCI has been mired by fixing scandal that rocked the 2013 IPL witnessing the arrest of three tainted cricketers including former India pacer S Sreesanth along with Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan.
“It is only fair to bring in accountability to be fair to sports lovers. As such there is no law which is there to curb match-fixing. It is absolutely mandatory to have a law that can combat the menace,” Thakur said when asked as to what made him propose the bill in Lok Sabha.
According to the bill that has been placed in the Lower House, it’s objective is “to establish a national sports ethics body to ensure ethical practices in sports as well as strive towards elimination of doping practices, match fixing and fair play, fraud of age, gender and sexual harassment of women in sports.”
The bill further states: “This comes as an aftermath of the recent corruption and match fixing charges that were thrown up in Indian Cricket and other sports by multiple players.
“The concerned players are currently charged under inappropriate sections of Dishonesty and Cheating under Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as Prevention of Corruption Act in the courts but the sportspersons often get easily free because these laws don’t apply for sports.”
Meanwhile, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameron has hailed the resumption of bilateral ties with the BCCI, as the region prepares to host India in a four-Test series starting in July, reports add from Bridgetown, Barbados.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced it had resumed relations with the WICB after resolving “outstanding issues” pertaining to the controversial abandoned tour of India two years ago, when the West Indies players quit the one-day tour over pay issues with their board, reports CMC.
“We are extremely delighted that concerns which arose due to the incomplete tour have been addressed and would like to thank BCCI for reviving our ties,” Cameron said in a statement on Saturday.
“West Indies cricket appreciates the support of BCCI and the cricket loving fans of the islands keenly look forward to witness some exciting contests between the two teams.”
