Chief guest and Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar in his address was all praise for the role played by CCWT members for tracing the idols who had migrated from Goa to Mumbai and bringing them to their home soil for felicitation.
Tawadkar told that apart from building stadiums for sportsperson all over the State, he intends to start a football academy to train the youth at Canacona and other places in Goa.
Those who were felicitated were Agnela e D’Sa, Dorina Barreto e D’Sa who played at the National level and also played for the Indian Railways and Air India, Jerry (Constancino) D’Sa who played for the Nationals and presently working in Goa as Radio Operator in the Ports department and Sebestiana D’Sa.
Angela D’sa, the captain of the Indian hockey team at the Seoul Olympics that brought the bronze medal to India in her acceptance speech narrated as to how she had to go through hardships in Mumbai. She told that she was encouraged by her brother Jerry D’Sa to play football in her childhood days and she practiced with men hockey players on the field and got lots of training inputs from them.
Angela divulged that apart from her brother, her mother encouraged her during her schooling years while her father in the initial stage disliked her hockey career but after she started getting laurels and publicity in the media he took stride with her.
The efforts of the president of CCWT, Diogo D’Silva to trace the felicitated sportsperson who where long forgotten was appreciated by the dignitaries who spoke included Dean of Canacona, Fr Simon Fernandes, social activist Kishore Painginkar, senior citizen Natividade D’Sa and others.
