Goa is one of the few states in the country that boast of good sports infrastructure. While infrastructure is good, but only in few sports; Goa’s track record of producing national and international level athletes is poor. At the 2023 National Games held in Goa last October-November, the state won a record 92 medals to finish ninth overall in the medals tally. But, this tally gives a false picture of Goa’s sporting prowess as majority of these medals were either won by ‘outstation’ players who represented Goa or were won in non-Olympic or indigenous sports. Very few of these medals were won by the ‘sons and daughters of the soil’.
While crores were spent in creating infrastructure, opening and closing ceremonies, logo and mascot launch and organisation of National Games, the most basic and important thing that is lacking in Goan sporting ecosystem is the availability of good coaches at the grass-root level. This is badly hampering the development of so many budding Goan athletes who want to take up ‘sports’ as a career option.
It’s a known fact that without top-notch coaches, Goa will not be able to make progress in any sporting discipline. Future sports stars if not nurtured and groomed at the grass-root level; they will die a steady death. Hence, it is necessary to have good coaches at the grass-root level for spotting talent, grooming and nurturing them.
Goa’s finest sportspersons who have bought laurels for the state do not train in Goa because the training facilities here are inadequate. Ace badminton player Anura Prabhudesai, who is a former India No.1 trains in Bengaluru.
Similar is the case with Goa’s top swimmers Shrungi Bandekar and Sanjana Prabhugaonkar. Both of them who have won multiple medals at the national level have shifted their base to Bengaluru and Dubai respectively. Former junior national squash champion Akanksha Salunke who gold at the 2023 National Games has shifted to the United States for better training options.
Another champion squash player from Goa, Yash Fadte, who has multiple international titles to his credit, has also moved to the United States.
Infact, there is not a single competent academy in Goa which can handle sports at a higher level, and that is why sportspersons have to go elsewhere to gain a higher level of training.
According to Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) website, the state employs 140 coaches across 31 sporting disciplines. But, SAG coach ratio to disciplines is highly skewed. Some Olympic sports in Goa with permanent recognition for associations have just one coach or nobody at all.
While popular sports such as football and cricket have 20 and 19 coaches’ respectively, a non-Olympic sport like body building which is not even a medal sport at the National Games has 14 coaches employed by SAG. Boxing and kabbadi (eight each), volleyball and tennis ball cricket (six each), athletics, judo, softball and taekwondo (five each), handball (four) are the other disciplines with four or more coaches.
But, Olympic sports like archery, beach volleyball, diving, gymnastics, shooting, table tennis and wrestling (one each), badminton and swimming (two each), basketball, chess and hockey (three each) have been a total neglect and are in badly need of more coaches.
Olympic disciplines like squash and yachting, where Goa has done well, both at the national and international level do not have a single coach employed with the SAG. Similar is the case with lawn tennis, fencing and weightlifting.
In the highly competitive sporting world, sports cannot progress with just basic training. Over the years, Goa has created only infrastructure, no human resource. There is urgent need to bring in good qualified coaches who can provide quality training to Goan sportspersons. Only then talent will grow.
