With an abysmal performance at the recently concluded national games, will the sports administrators chalk out a concrete plan to give a fillip to sports and invest in grassroot development or continue to keep sports development on the backburner?
Goa will play hosts to the next edition of the Games which is likely to be held by end of 2016 and it is a matter of grave concern as the state will be expected to put up a great show on field and deliver on home turf. Eleven medals, one gold, three silver and seven bronze that’s all Goa could manage from the total 1,334 medals up for grabs at the recently concluded 35th National Games in Kerala. Six of those medals were won in taekwondo and one each in Triathlon, Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Boxing and Swimming.
What is shoddier is that Goa ended on the 25th spot in the 32 teams standings even though it boasted of a strong contingent of 84 athletes and took part in 12 disciplines out of the total 35 categories.
This was poor achievement for all the athletes involved, worse than 16 medals won at the last nationals. It is clearly evident that Goa’s sporting record is worsening and the unimpressive medals tally at the games is a proof of that.
So what’s the reason for Goa’s mysteriously poor performance at the National Games? This is a question many have grappled with in recent days but sports administrators seem to be tight lipped about the issue and happy taking potshots at each other.
Anywhere else, there would have been an inquest immediately after such a poor performance at the National Games that too after a state boasts of having world class infrastructure that was built during the Lusofonia Games.
The people who run sport in Goa need to answer such poor performances at such prestigious games as they are the ones who enjoy all perks involved in sports instead of the athletes.
Politicians do not hesitate when it comes to going on a junket to study a particular tournament or sport, here is a great opportunity for them to study what’s lacking in Goan athletes. However, no one will step up, because world class facilities, diet and nutrition and international exposure is denied to our athletes, but the officials and politicians roll in them no wonder this is state of sports affairs in Goa.
The biggest problem is that Goan athletes don’t enjoy much financial or institutional support required from the respective associations. Thanks to non-profit initiatives of a few Goan companies, some athletes are really delivering at the highest state as they are given the much needed financial backing to achieve their dreams, however such initiatives are very minimal and not enough to bring about an overall change in the sporting scenario.
Football was a big shocker at the national games. The Goan football team could not win a medal at the games and went down to Maharashtra 3-5 in the bronze medal match. The state sport of Goa, in which Goa usually dominated, could not deliver this time even though crores of rupees are spent annually on football development in the state.
Although people would love to blame it on poor sports infrastructure and the corruption that undoubtedly afflicts sports administration in Goa, it is a matter of sheer will power that is lacking in Goan politicos and administrators to make Goa a sports hub.
If you have no infrastructure, to cater to various sports disciplines then it is a different story altogether as the success to sports begins with proper infrastructure where athletes can train. However in Goa sports infrastructure is used for everything else except to train athletes.
Can Goa proudly say today that it is ready to host the National Games in 2016 as it has world class infrastructure? But will the officials explain as why this infrastructure was not put to good use to train Goan sportspersons? Government is spending money on the maintenance and upkeep of all stadia’s and generating some revenue by having exhibitions and events at some venues, however when it comes to sports trainings, grounds are locked.
Despite the financial crunch due to the mining ban, Goa still went ahead and developed the so called world class infrastructure, but maintenance has not been our strength and that’s the main reason why some of the infrastructure as reported in the past is already crumbling.
We have built and refurbished stadia for the Lusofonia Games. Forget an amateur athlete, why doesn’t a professional athlete or sports associations have access to them at the end of it? Why the gates of all stadia are closed for sports activities even though there are thousands of Goans who want to play and make good use of this infrastructure.
Medals at the Lusofonia Games may have created an impression that Goa has become a sports power; however there is a lot that still needs to be done if we are to create world class athletes in Goa.
It would be easy to blame the sportsmen and women, but the government is equally to be blamed for rewarding mediocrity like it did during the Lusofonia Games, many may disagree with that but it is a fact that Goa performed exceedingly well due to non participation by some of the biggies of the Lusophone countries.
Things will only improve when the athlete will top the priority list of the officials. Goa needs to buck up as time is running out and we have around 20 months left to right the wrongs before the next national games. Goa needs to focus more on the performance on field rather than off it, however as always there will be more emphasis on the latter as that’s where the money is for the politicians and officials.
(The writer is a freelance journalist)
