National Games 2018 seems to be on track with the government getting on with the preparations for the 30-discipline sports extravaganza.
PANAJI
According to the Sports Authority of Goa AGM agenda notes, the facilities to be refurbished and newly created have been clearly listed out. The information for the General Body Meeting to be held on Monday afternoon at Porvorim, also dispels doubts on the status of shooting and cycling (velodrome) events.
Campal sports complex hall, open ground; Ponda sports complex, Fatorda sports complex and swimming pool will all be refurbished and upgraded. Among the infrastructure to be newly created is Chicalim sports complex, Navelim sports complex, Hockey astro turf at Peddem sports complex and Sawalwada sports complex. Sawalwada will be used as a facility for shooting (rifle, pistol, trap and skeet), with a provision of being a multipurpose complex. The site omitted from the previously proposed new-construction plan is Poinguinim-Canacona where archery, wrestling and weightlifting events were to be held. The SAG says that the changes in the plans had to be made due to various factors like time, financial, post-event usability constraints, etc.
Meanwhile, the area of the Navelim complex has been curtailed to 10 thousand square-metres due to litigation over the ownership of land. Another setback to the government plans is at Campal due to title issues. Both these places were supposed to host cycling and tennis events respectively.
"The government has decided to accommodate the tennis courts and cycling velodrome at the property acquired by the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs at Fatorda," says the information in the SAG general body meeting agenda notes.
The 30 sports disciplines at the 36th Games now proposed to be held in October-November next year are as follows: aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach handball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, fencing, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kho kho, netball, rowing, shooting, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and yachting.
