Indian Sports Trusts Thread ...

[dingchak]

Hi paulo_eddie,

Often I get this feeling that you are taking me for a ride by claiming to be a 17 or 18 year old student in Mumbai. Many posts of yours reflect a maturity level beyond what is usually seen in teenagers and many adults. I wish I was half as smart/mature as you are when I was your age.


I agree with what you have written in this thread.

My thoughts exactly. In fact, I was about to write this and since you already wrote this, I am just quoting you.

[paulo_eddie]

Bsharma,dinkchak...my birthcertificate's on its way in tomorrows mail....

PS: BTW guys, did u guys know tht our soumo(india1989) is even younger...he's just 16!!!

[paulo_eddie]

What do you want to do in life?

lets see...besides becoming the richest man on the planet, seducing the sexiest women in holly&bollywood, climbing mount everest etc.....BAS ITNA SA KHWAAB HAI......
hey soumo, if i start on that topic, we might need a new forum! ....kidding....

to b honest man, i got no idea...i get excited easily...so my plans tend to change quite a few times before actually making up my mind...

I intend to get into broadcast journalism after my graduation. As of now i do a bit of freelancing for our local newspaper...a few years later lets see where i land up!!

soumo,what about you man...?

[Sandeep]

Hey Paulo/Soumo, why don't you guys discuss your future plans through PM? Don't you think we are getting derailed from the original discussion here?

[paulo_eddie]

sandeep, ppl had kinda already stopped discussing the main topic of the thread...but i take ur point.

[Sandeep]

I know tht, but thought we will be back on track after few posts, and moroever it would be too harsh if I interfere immediately after 1 post (offtopic) .

[jaydeep]

As Sameer mentioned in November about Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) clauses ... Which r not favourable for players ... So now Gagan Narang, the present world number one in the 10m air rifle category, turned down Trust's Contract on that basis ... Already former world snooker champion Pankaj Advani and national swimmer Shikha Tandon refused contract with Trust.

Here r some clauses which r players objecting -
-> To contribute fifteen per cent (15%) of all earnings through endorsements, publicity campaigns, media presentations and other public relations exercises in which the Athlete participates. This obligation shall survive the termination of the agreement for a period of 3 years.

-> In the event the athlete is in violation of or negligent in fulfilling any obligations herein resulting in termination forthwith by the MCT, the MCT shall be entitled to recover all costs and expenses incurred by it.

-> In the event the athlete does not meet up to MCT’s expectations, the MCT shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement with immediate effect and withdraw all benefits to the Athlete forthwith.

-> If the Athlete is unable to undertake training and /or participate in sporting events for a period exceeding ninety (90) days due to injury, illness, or any other reason whatsoever, the MCT may terminate this Agreement with immediate effect.

Gagan Narang - “There are just too many binding clauses that are not clear. Actually I had contacted MCT for support but once I read the contract document, I was no longer keen."
Endorsements brings in the role of agents who usually take 15% of any deal they bring in for an athlete. Adding MCT’s stake of 15%, an athlete will lose upto 30%.
Apart from the endorsements clause, athletes are wary of the non-performance part of the deal which makes them liable to return all the money that the Trust invests in them over a period of time. “I am not comfortable with that. What if I am unable to meet their expectations? Anyway, my sport is all about mental ease. Being liable for prosecution for under-performance is not going to aid that,” adds Narang.
Another bit that invites debate is the possibility of its termination in case an athlete is not active for a period of 90 days even on account of injury or illness.

Check the article from DNA - Narang declines Mittal contract - Sukhwant Basra

Jaydeep.

[Dhruv]

Really the non-performance part is questionable. I imagine the MCT expectations need to be down on paper rather than just "We have some expectations of you". These are probably subject to negotiation and if you don't think you can meet them then well ... i.e. if you don't back yourself to win then who will. If the expectations are too onerous like saying to a chess player be world #1 for 5 years in a row then yes its onerous but if it is have an ELO rating of >2700 then well its OK. Don't know how they structure it (the performace part) but anyway its OK.

And that clause doesn't read like you return the money if you don't meet expectations, just that they will wthdraw benefits. I'm not a lawyer and these clauses may not have been presented in the way they are written in the document i.e. subclauses and clarifications etc so it is tough to comment without all other information.

“There are just too many binding clauses that are not clear.......once I read the contract document, I was no longer keen." Well if the contract is not clear to you get a lawyer to read it for you rather than just giving up on it. Still not clear get clarifications "in writing" from the other party. They've got to be realistic here. It's a business deal at the end of the day and so they will need to do slightly more due diligence or atleast the article doesn't seem to show that that Narang has done his due diligence or maybe he doesn't really need the money that badly and so can avoid it completely.

[mugu]

It is easy to understand why Narang (or for that matter Advani and Shikha earlier) is wary of signing such a contract.
If you read the clause (In the event the athlete is in violation of or negligent in fulfilling any obligations herein resulting in termination forthwith by the MCT, the MCT shall be entitled to recover all costs and expenses incurred by it.) and then read the other (If the Athlete is unable to undertake training and /or participate in sporting events for a period exceeding ninety (90) days due to injury, illness, or any other reason whatsoever, the MCT may terminate this Agreement with immediate effect) you are not sure whether suffering an injury might lead to termination of the contract and it might also mean the athlete in violation of fulfilling obligations in which case the athlete may have to pay back.
Too many clauses like this will surely raise doubts among sportsmen and women. If they are asked to wear a logo, it should be fine; if they are asked to attend promos, it should be fine; if they are told to give 15 per cent of all endorsement money, even that should be okay. But to say that you can’t fall ill or get injured, that’s putting things a little too far. More than anything else, what Narang says should be warning to all prospective Mittal trainees “What if I am unable to meet their expectations? Anyway, my sport is all about mental ease. Being liable for prosecution for under-performance is not going to aid that,”
The best way to go about would be one-year contracts for a maximum amount (say for training abroad, coach’s fee, kitting, air fare, allowances, equipment etc). If the sportsperson meets the expectations, say an Asian medal or a place in an Olympics final etc etc, then continue with it or else say “thank you, you are not good enough.” Binding people down this way will just add to the mental strain of the sportsperson concerned.
I didn’t realize this was so tricky. Government funds are available for the truly talented sportsmen and women. And there are schemes like Olympic Scholarships and other private funding. And the BCCI is in the process of putting around Rs 50 crores for Olympic sport. MCT is not the only scheme in India.

[suresh]

What a mess!

[Orang]

Sometimes, we need to see such examples to realize that its not our genetics that is stopping us.  Its more to do with training and effort.

Check out this amazing Indian (in my opinion, more admirable than Tendulkar -- but not Vishy of course!):


http://www.mostbeautifulman.com/athlete ... ic04.shtml

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z101 ... 1186420214

http://www.mostbeautifulman.com/athlete ... ic04.shtml


He was selected alternate instead of main team due to favoritism of a veteran (Hamm) on the US team.  Anyway, I wish Mittal would pay him to teach in India.

[usaindian]

mittal aims for medals in 2012 olympics
http://mittalchampionstrust.com/aboutus.html


Edited - Merged this Mittal topic with already available thread. - Jaydeep.

[x_y_Z_a]

It is suprising that no tennis player is sponsored by Mittal trust, inspite of Manisha Malhotra is in charge of administartion.

[mamta]

ya its quite surprising.....but i remember watching manisha's interview somewhere she said that they have not added tennis cos there are other people supporting them.....n they may add it later on....

[arjun2761]

It will be interesting to track how the Mittal athletes perform over the next 2-3 years.  The presumption was that our biggest reason for underperformance was lack of funds to access world class training and competition.  Presumably, access to  that is what the Mittal Trust provides.  Furthermore, most of  the athletes they have selected are not too far from world standards to begin with (see example of the boxers and squash players), so a 2-3 year window should provide some interesting data.