Chandigarh Olympic Association yet to decide on holding State Games

Tribune News Service

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, August 22

With over a month left for the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) National Games – 2022, the Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) is yet to decide whether to conduct the State Games or not.

The 2022 National Games are slated to be held in Gujarat from September 27 to October 10.

While several local associations have started conducting trials to select teams to qualify for the National Games, the COA is still in the dark about conducting the State Games to give local players a platform to perform.

The COA has failed to conduct even a single State Game in the past 16 years.

After an unpopular hustle, which lasted for over a month, a new body of the COA was elected in March 2021. The body took over the shattered association with a promise to conduct the State Games before the IOA’s National Games.

However, the association is still silent over the announcement of conducting the State Games.

Just like previous years, Amarinder Singh Bazaz, president of the COA, maintained that the association would organise the State Games, but did not mention ‘when’. NS Thakur, general secretary, COA, claimed that the National Games had nothing to do with the State Games.

“Top eight performers or states in senior championships, organised by national associations, qualify for the National Games, while the host state is given a direct entry,” stated a similar reply by both Bazaz and Thakur.

However, when asked about COA’s actions on giving a platform to players to perform in senior championships, officials just passed the buck.

Questions over association’s existence

The COA has not conducted a single State Game in the past 16 years, which raises questions over the existence of the association. Even the member associations affiliated to the COA hesitate to raise voice against the COA’s ‘defunct’ mode of functioning.

“There has to be some credibility among COA office-bearers and its affiliated units. A clear promise of conducting the State Games was made on various public platforms during the elections. However, there has been no announcement in this regard till date. What is the use of conducting the State Games after the National Games?” questioned one of the senior coaches.

Notably, the COA had even failed to organise the State Games before the 2015 National Games held in Thiruvananthapuram, which again puts question mark on the COA’s existence. The last State Games were held in October 2005 followed by a sponsored event called “Mini Olympics” in 2012. In 2005, events such as athletics, archery, basketball, boxing, football, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, kayaking, rowing, volleyball, canoeing, kho-kho, tennis, table tennis, shooting, weightlifting and swimming were organised during the State Games. Badminton, cycling, skating, wrestling and netball were dropped from the games, confirmed sources.

Association still in the dark

While several local associations have started conducting trials to select teams to qualify for the National Games, the Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) is still in the dark about conducting the State Games to give local players a platform to perform.

#Gujarat