Where is the money that was promised to the six Goan students who brought laurels to the State at the recently concluded Khelo India national competition? It’s over two months, and the SAG has failed to honour its word. That’s not all. Nobody, including the athletes have any clue about quantum of the cash incentive. At a time when Goa is gearing up to host the National Games, this comes as a huge setback to the morale of young sportspersons.
While the State is preparing for the much-awaited National Games, the government’s avowed objective of sports promotion appears suspect, given the current state of affairs. Athletes who hogged the limelight at national and international sporting events have not been given the recognition they deserve. Even prize money won by some schools has not been paid for nearly a year. The government boasts about building infrastructure and promoting talent, but has failed to encourage deserving talent.
Goans have made their mark at the highest level, be it chess, badminton, sailing, judo, beach volleyball, taekwondo and the State’s favourite sport, football. It’s heart-warming to see State sportspersons take the podium at the national or international level despite the odds they face back home. And instances like these where promises are not kept set a terrible example.
Sports Minister Manohar Babu Ajgaonkar has been taking pride in the hiked budgetary allocations year on year. A total of Rs 68 crore was allocated for sports in the year 2016-17 which was hiked to Rs 161 crore in the 2018-19. And provision for the year 2019-20 has seen a massive jump to Rs 314 crore in view of the National Games scheduled to be held in the second half of the year. What do these bloated budgetary figures mean when deserving youngsters are denied even a meagrely cash reward that is promised for the toil and sweat that they put in?
This is not the first time that the SAG has shown lethargy in supporting talent. Lest we forget, two Goans representing India at the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games in August were left with no option but to compete with worn out equipment in the RS:One Mixed Team sailing. SAG, for all its assurances, is doing lip service. Lessons have not been learnt and deserving sportspersons continue to be ignored. Leave alone the crores of money that has been misappropriated in the infamous sports scam that has been conveniently forgotten for over a year.
What message is the government sending across? The infrastructure that the State is boosting about and the ambitious corpus fund that is proposed can do nothing good for the morale and confidence of deserving sportspersons. The Sports Minister and those at the SAG need to understand first what it takes to earn a podium finish.
