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Uncertainty around national games in Goa remains
National games were originally scheduled for November 2018 which were later postponed to April 2019. However, due to the general election, the government of Goa ordered cancellation
The state of Goa which will be hosting the 36th national games scheduled to be held later this year is looking at an uncertain future due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The national games were originally scheduled for November 2018 which were later postponed to April 2019. However, due to the general election, the government of Goa ordered cancellation.
Now, the games are scheduled to be held on October 20, 2020, to November 4, 2020, however, without the central government’s directives the future remains uncertain.
Indian Olympic association joint secretary Namdev Shirgaonkar feels national games should happen this year.
“Whether it will be happening on the scheduled date cannot be assured currently due to the Covid-19 uncertainty. The Indian Olympic association will assess the situation before coming to a conclusion,” Shirgaonkar said.
The state of Goa is in a green zone which is a positive sign for the games however there will be no positive progress without clearances from the centre and Goa government.
“The National Games are very important for our athletes and it will be a good rehearsal for the Olympic qualified athletes as well. If games are postponed to 2021, then finding dates for the event will be very difficult since 2021 will be a jam-packed year for athletes,” added Shirgaonkar who is also the vice president of Maharashtra Olympic Association (MOA).
If national games are postponed in October, then it will bring in big loses to the state of Goa as they have almost completed the infrastructure needed for the games, he added
On Saturday, Shirgaonkar had a meeting over the zoom app with different sports associations in Maharashtra. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the preparation of Maharashtra athletes for the national games.
“We conducted a meeting to plan the future. One cannot waste time in lockdown and there should be a plan for our athletes. Since everybody is in lockdown, athletes cannot come straight away and take part in national games, there should be a proper camp. We also discussed on ways we can motivate all athletes during the lockdown,” Shirgaonkar added.
Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted regarding resuming training for elite athletes in a phased manner after lockdown is lifted and Shirgaonkar feels it is the right way to move ahead.
“I completely support the views of our sports minister, I advised the same to the state association. We definitely need to have a camp for selected athletes in Maharashtra. We have centers in our state where we can train our athletes by taking all the precautions. Soon MOA will figure out a plan for their athletes,” added Shirgaonkar.
Shirgaonkar advised players to stay positive and keep preparing for the games in whatever way they can at home.
