PANAJI
After missing its own deadline, the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) has said that the long-awaited State Sports Policy will now be released after the upcoming Budget session, with a fresh assurance that the draft will first be opened up for consultations with all stakeholders.
SAG Executive Director Ajay Gaude told The Goan that the proximity of the Budget session could see new initiatives being announced, making it prudent to unveil the policy thereafter.
“We also plan to hold consultation meetings with athletes, sports associations, parents, civil society groups and the general public, among other stakeholders, before finalising the document. In all likelihood, the policy should be finalised within a month or two,” he stated.
SAG had earlier announced that the revised Sports Policy would be drafted and released by December last year. The new policy is expected to be Goa’s first major overhaul of its sports framework in nearly 17 years with the existing State Sports Policy dating back to 2009.
Gaude had acknowledged soon after assuming office last year that the policy required urgent revision to keep pace with present-day sporting demands, governance norms and emerging opportunities.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Khelo India initiative and the Centre’s recently released National Sports Policy (Khel Niti) 2025, Gaude said Goa’s revised policy would place emphasis on improving coaching standards, maintaining sports infrastructure, planning the post-National Games legacy, and managing sports equipment more effectively.
He said the State would adopt key elements of the National Sports Policy and tailor them to suit Goa’s specific requirements. “In the last 16 years, rules, regulations and the entire sports ecosystem have changed. All that needs to be factored in,” Gaude said.
The 2009 State Sports Policy had sought to define and integrate the roles of various agencies involved in sports promotion in Goa, within the framework of the National Sports Policy of 2001. That national policy has since been replaced by the NSP 2025, which aims to position India as a global sporting powerhouse and improve performance at international events, including the 2036 Olympic Games.
Gaude said the state leadership was aligned with this vision as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar are keen to take sports in the state to the next level.
