PANJIM: The Goa Olympic Association (GOA) today submitted the names of three Nodal Officers for the 37th National Games to be held in Goa for the approval of the Sports Minister Govind Gaude.
The proposed names are Vero Nunes, president of Goa Table Tennis Association, Rajendra Goudinho, ex-secretary of Goa State Tennis Association and Sandeep Heble, secretary of Goa Badminton Association. The names are expected to be approved as these have been okayed by the President of Goa Olympic Association, Union Minister Shripad Naik after inviting nominations by Secretary Gurudatta Bhakta. Their appointments should be a mere formality matter.
The work of the Nodal Officers will be to coordinate with the National Games Secretariat which is currently functioning from the Secretariat at Porvorim and the SAG for the smooth organisation of the Games. The office will have a Chief Executive Officer, who is still to be nominated and the Joint CEO, Geeta Nagvekar, SAG’s Executive Director.
The recruitment process is expected to start soon with the National Games Secretariat moving into a big office outside the Secretariat Complex to facilitate its working which will have also the Khelo India and SAI in its fold with a view to stage the Games in October-November.
“I am delighted to be considered for the post of Nodal Officer,” stated Vero, the face of table tennis in Goa, whose main task would be looking after coordination. Vero has vast and varied experience in organisation having been involved in the Lusofonia Games in the past besides several world, Asia level table tennis events. He will also be closely associated with the forthcoming WTT (World Table Tennis) event to be held in Taleigao later this month, in which top world 48 men and top 48 women players would be seen in action. It will be held on the lines of ATP in collaboration with the Table Tennis Federation of India and Goa Table Tennis Association.
Vero is known for fiscal discipline and had raised queries on the surplus number of rooms booked during the last Lusofonia Games held in Goa which resulted in a loss of about Rs 2 to 3 crores to the Government due to wrong booking dates. Rajendra Goudinho, the second Nodal Officer, highlighted the need to get all on the same page so as not to leave anything to chance in organisational matters. “We need to work tegether as one unit,” added Rajendra.
Well known Sandeep Heble, who is the third Nodal Officer, pointed out that such opportunities come once in a lifetime and that one has to give one’s best for the total success of the Games. “I will ty and do justice to the big task entrusted to me for the one point programme – total success,” observed Sandeep who is part of the GOA family.
