The 37th edition of the National Games put Goa on a higher sporting pedestal with an unexpected blitz of 92 medals, including 27 gold. Suddenly, Goa seems to be singing a new tune in sports. The triumph managed to momentarily overpower the Goan versus ‘imported’ narrative as the State soaked in the achievements, both on and off the field.
The final hurrah came when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced a 4 per cent quota in jobs across all government departments with a rider that it could go up to 5 per cent in the future, although this is not the first time that successful sportspersons are assured of government jobs. We recall the chief minister promising jobs to all Goans winning national or international medals, during the last Assembly session. The question is whether job security was an issue responsible for Goa’s failure in sports, or is this announcement to bolster the morale after the success at this Games?
Whichever way one looks at the job promise, we need to understand the dynamics of sports and how sportspersons perceive sports careers. Job incentives may not propel a change when the sports scenario itself is not conducive to building a full-time career. What Goa desperately needs is a well-integrated support system for sports.
In Goa, youth embark on sports journies out of their own passion, hard work, and with whatever little support is available. A job is at any time a welcome enticement, but we can’t expect youth to take a path that has so many uncertainties. Athletes don’t venture into sports because they don’t find the right path, or are disillusioned because facilities don’t match national standards. In Goa, sportspersons are restricted due to the limitations in the system. The sports minister’s talk about hosting the Asian Games and even Olympic events is pompous and illusory.
The national games should be a barometer to assess the depth of our sporting talent and how far we need to go. Instead of singing laurels on the 92 medals that we won, the State has to dissect these figures, analyse data and identify areas where Goan athletes stand a chance. Groom athletes, support them and let them be the success stories that Goa could narrate.
Sports involves big money investment. The lure of a job is not enough to get traction, instead, the government must create ecosystems to produce sports stars. We need to learn lessons from States that have walked this path.
Employment has been a debatable subject for years and the State government has cut out a sorry figure on jobs. Even aspiring sportspersons will be disillusioned with job quotas when they see the huge backlog of posts to be filled, and the visible reluctance to fill existing posts.
While there has been big talk about sports universities, sports tourism, sports quotas for jobs and cash incentives, the State government has still not done a serious introspection on the subject. It is time to think realistically and climb down from the inflated pride over infrastructure. There has to be a reboot in sports with veteran sports personalities as administrators and mentors.
