Goa may well be contented with the 37th edition of the National Games, both in terms of organising and sporting outcomes, irrespective of the glitches and challenges the State encountered along the way. On the outside, winning an unprecedented 92 medals has warmed the cockles of many hearts, especially those at the helm of sports administration betting big on ‘outstation players’.
From a purely Goan standpoint, however, the result will not enthuse promising athletes who were sidelined to make way for ‘medal prospects’ roped in from other States. Even though Goa finished an encouraging 9th in the final tally, the insider versus outsider debate left an indelible blemish on sportsmanship, a fact endorsed by PT Usha, President of the India Olympic Association during her Goa visit.
The flip side of the argument favouring outstation players lacks substance although franchise leagues operate on a similar concept of hiring ‘outside’ players ” international stars in the case of ISL, and an assortment of players from various states in IPL. The idea of importing players is believed to have raised the standards of local players while playing as a team. National Games, however, work on a completely different principle and athletes no longer find themselves associated after the Games. It is here that the logic of bringing in ‘outside' players is defeated because there is no long-term commitment or association with State teams. It’s a short-sighted move to fight the embarrassment of being losers and does not help Goan sports in the long run.
Goa undoubtedly made a mark as a host with a dazzling opening ceremony with political leadership blowing the trumpet over infrastructural facilities and speaking of setting up a sports university and academies.
There is no denying the fact that Goa has made significant progress in setting up sports infrastructure, but those at the helm of sports are yet to understand that mere infrastructure is not helping. We need to find a balance between facilities and talent, and we need to create an ecosystem keeping in mind the targets.
Goa lacks a competitive sports culture and the grooming of talent is mediocre. Many of those Goans who have excelled at the National Games could find themselves in the middle of nowhere and possibly fade into oblivion because the State does not have a blueprint for sports, nor does it have the ecosystem to groom talent to compete at a higher level.
Sports has evolved and the competition has grown exponentially. Stadiums are not enough to yield results. In the current times, we see high-performance centres at par with global standards, scientific tech-guided training, specialised academies, international coaching and training, data analytics-based speed and athletic improvements, mobility drills, diet plans, tools to develop overall physical and mental health, etc.
Cash incentives and government job quotas for successful sportspersons are not the fundamental requirements in the Goa setup and could make better sense only when there is a complete ecosystem built for sportspersons. To begin with, mindsets have to change and sports administrators have to focus more on the making of a sportsperson.
There are lessons to learn from the National Games. We hope those at the helm of sports will now understand what it takes to win medals.
