Postponed several times due to different reasons, the National Games will be held in multiple cities in Gujarat in September-October this year according to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Goa has reportedly told the IOA that it will not be able to host the National Games due to the state’s inability to create adequate infrastructure. This does not augur well for Goa’s capability to hold sports at a national level. It could have a negative impact on Goa being considered for any national sports event in future. It must be said that Goa’s loss has been Gujarat’s gain. The last National Games were held in Kerala in 2015 and Goa was to host the 36th edition in November 2016. After two delays in 2018 and 2019 due to Goa’s inability to create the necessary infrastructure, the Games were further postponed to 2020. The state had sufficient time to prepare for the National Games. It's true that whenever sports infrastructures are created for an event like the National Games it can benefit the local sporting talent as the infrastructure can be used for training our sportspersons.
