the goan I network
PANAJI
The elections to the Goa Olympic Association will be held on September 22, 2018 at Hotel Manoshanti, Panaji. September 4 was the last date for filing nominations, a day when the incumbent duo of president - secretary general floated their own panel, with just three others contesting against their nominated candidates.
Union Minister for Ayush (independent charge) Shripad Naik, who is the incumbent president, has filed his nomination for this post once again and with no other nomination having been filed, will be elected unopposed. Similarly, for the post of treasurer, Paresh Kamat who is a member of Goa Athletics Association is the lone person to file his nomination.
For the post of secretary general, Gurudatta Bhakta, who is the present secretary general will face opposition from Sandeep Heble, secretary of Goa Badminton Association. For four posts of
vice-presidents, there are five nominations, namely: Sandeep Heble (Goa Badminton Association), Rajendra Mangeshkar (Taekwondo Association of Goa), Irwin Soares (Goa Volleyball Association), Lenny Da Gama (Goa Boxing Association) and Girish Chodankar (Goa Kho Kho Association). The post of joint secretary will be a contest between Chetan Kavlekar (Amateur Archery Association, Goa) and Anagha Warilkar (Goa Fencing Association).
Siddhartha Satardekar (Goa Yachting Association), Farrel Furtado (Goans Hockey), Jayesh Naik (Weightlifting Association of Goa), Welvin Menezes (Goa Football Association), Rupesh Mahatme (Goa Handball Association) and Siddheshwar Naik (Goa Judo Association) have filed their nominations for the posts of executive members.
What is curious to note is that these elections will not be contested under the Sports Code, despite Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s recommendations, which has raised a lot of eyebrows. “Rathore Sir, Your letter to CMs to follow the Sports Code has been suppressed. The Goa Olympic Association headed by ur BJP Minister is not following Sports Code. Would appreciate if they first practice what u preach,” the Aam Aadmi Party headed by Goa Football Association President Elvis Gomes tweeted.
Goa Badminton Association Secretary Sandeep Heble shared similar views. “It is sad that Goa Olympic Association, which is the umbrella body of State level associations, has not adopted the code. More so because it is headed by a Central Minister, Shripad Naik. On one hand the Union Sports Minister Rathore has asked States to enforce the provisions of the code and wants to create a momentum of good governance for sports persons and on the other hand his own colleague minister is taking a reverse stand. This is extremely sad and a regressive step. Technically, the matter should have been brought up before the GOA general body but the same was never convened. The present Secretary General, Gurudatta Bhakta has completed his three terms. Will the government permit him to contest for yet another term, when Rathore has himself asked States to implement the code?,” said Heble sounding a note of discontent.
Earlier this year, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had asked states to adopt the National Sports Code in order to achieve best results. “This (Sports Code) will go a long way to free the State/district level sports bodies, which are run as fiefdom by a few bureaucrats/ politicians and contribute significantly for the development of sports in the country,” the minister had written in his letter to chief ministers.
With the National Games scheduled during March “ April next year, the GOA elections have assumed a lot of significance. September 6 is the scrutiny of nominations and September 8 is the last date for withdrawal. Elections will be held during the GOA AGM on September 22.
