PANAJI
Roque Dias will head the newly constituted Goa Sports Foundation (GSF), a sports body formed to identify sports talent amongst Goans for the 2036 Olympics.
The other members of the GSF are Adv Antonio B Braganca, Advisor (Legal), Dr Silvan Sapeco, Advisor (Health), Redent D’souza, Vice-president, Michael D’ Sa, Vice-president, Christopher Menezes, Vice-president, Dr Celso Fernandes, Vice-president, Bosco de Souza Eremita, General Secretary, Olavio M Fernandes, Joint Secretary, Edward Ataide, Treasurer; Anil Tendulkar, Felix Fernandes, Orlando Costa, Concecao Pereira, Members.
Dias said that the formation of active State associations in some disciplines is the need of the hour, since some sports associations are defunct, inactive, or catering to the interests of non-Goans. The formation of the State association and selected candidates must essentially be of Goan ancestry, the GSF president said.
“We will call upon the State government to request the Center to modify the constitution of the sports federation, as these associations in several cases do not nurture Goan talent,” Dias said in a press release.
The GSF is being promoted in view of the inequities that Goan talent have had to face at the national level, with many selected from Goa, in reality, being not of Goan origin.
Dias, the former second-in-command officer of Sports Authority of India and Executive Director of SAI, pointed out that Goa has become an entry point for players to represent Goa, with even some sports organisations going by the Goa brand name, but no Goan in it.
“The aim of GSF is primarily to identify Goan talent at school-level, groom them for years so that they make it to Olympics 2036 in time during their peak performance,” he said.
