Players hopeful of more facilities after UT status

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 18

Maintaining that the development and promotion of sports remained a victim of politics for decades under different regimes in J&K, sportspersons and other stakeholders are hopeful that the union territory (UT) status after scrapping of Article 370 will help in strengthening sports infrastructure.

The players have blamed successive governments in J&K for degradation of sports facilities for fulfilling their “vested political interests”.

They said no government was serious about promotion of sports in J&K as their only concern was to adjust their blue-eyed men in departments who had zero contribution towards sports promotion.

“Just like scrapping of Article 370 has begun a new chapter in the politics of J&K, every sportsperson is hoping that the UT status will usher a new dawn for sports, which is the need of the hour,” Inspector Rashid Ahmad, an international fencer from J&K, told The Tribune.

“The idea of the sports policy draft which was conceived in 2002-03 and eventually made in 2012-13 later went in the public domain for suggestions/opinions but has never been implemented till date,” he added.

“There is a huge infrastructure deficit in J&K. We are way behind other states and UTs which are hosting many international events in different disciplines,” Kuldeep Handoo, ace wushu player and chief coach of the national wushu team, said.

“Like other UTs of the country where sports promotion is of utmost importance, we are expecting similar commitment from the UT administration when it will take over from November 1. We also want to host international events in J&K so that our players get the much-needed exposure and opportunity to play with the best in the business,” he said.