The government of Goa has been flirting with the ‘Will they, won’t they’ relationship when it comes to the hosting of the National Games for a few years now. Recently, in response to a listed question, Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar stated that the government has written to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), requesting for a rescheduling of the Games, so that it doesn’t coincide with the possibility of an early General Assembly Election.
Leave aside the politics of holding early elections. This usually means that an impending coup has to be thwarted, or that you need throw a spanner into the Opposition’s works. But, right now the spanner is part of a tug of war game between the IOA and the government of Goa. The sports body has already threatened the State government in 2015. They stated that they would shift the venue to another state and that a Rs 10 crore fine would be applicable if that happened. The government of Goa needs more finance to stage the games, and they have less than a little over six months to create new infrastructure and refurbish old infrastructure.
The total expenditure outlay for the 36th National Games is 626.15 crore. This includes organization, housing, setting up of temporary venues and the building and refurbishing of infrastructure. As of now, Goa has received only Rs 97.80 crore from the Centre, though the Sports Ministry stated that they have requested for more funds.
Goa won the bid for the National Games in 2008. They were scheduled to be staged in 2011. But, since Jharkhand and Kerala both delayed their own games, with the latter wrapping up in January 2015, the Goa date was pushed back over the years. Back then, the State’s fiscal deficit was not as bad as it is now. Back then, even though the Regional Plan agitation started in 2006, the massive outcry against large infrastructure projects and protests against the conversion of land for government use wasn’t as loud as it is now. It is here that the question of viability needs to be asked.
Goa built infrastructure for the Lusofonia Games in 2014. Out of the three venues, only the one at Taleigao has seen regular use. For the National Games, six venues will be refurbished and new venues built. If Goa cannot utilise just three venues regularly, what will happen when more dot the state. Is this expenditure necessary? The Lusofonia Games itself did not see full venues. With the Summer Olympics winding up just three months before, there is a strong possibility of many athletes not making it to Goa. This state may love football, but will there be crowds thronging venues to see track and field events?
At this point, the Goa government needs to ponder on the possibility of taking a few blows and walking away relatively unscathed. Even if Goa does get more financial help from the Centre, it will not be 100 percent. There was a figure of Rs 282 crore announced for sports infrastructure in the recent budget, but perhaps the more prudent thing to do is pay the Rs 10 crore penalty and put the rest of the money into infrastructure that will benefit the state on a regular basis. There is no harm in admitting defeat, especially when alternative is a strong possibility that the lack of preparedness might end up with egg on our faces. This is not a game that we can ideally win.
