‘Miffed over not being invited’, Olympic Assn skips meet with UT Administrator

With office-bearers of the Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) “skipping” a meeting with UT Administrator and Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, speculation is rife that ‘all is not well’ in the association, which is believed to be one of the main sports bodies of the city being directly affiliated with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

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The meeting was held at Punjab Raj Bhavan on December 20. Notably, the COA office- bearers attended the meeting on December 16 with the Secretary Sports.

Highly placed sources in the Sports Department confirmed that a separate invite was sent to the COA for the meeting, while the COA office-bearers said the association had nothing to do with the gathering as it was meant for only local sports associations.

“A separate invite was sent (through mail) to all the associations, including the COA,” said a UT Sports Department official, seeking anonymity.

Denying any such development, the COA office- bearers maintained that the invite was addressed only to presidents/general sectaries (UT Sports Associations). “Only local sports associations were called for the meeting. The COA had nothing to do with this meeting,” said Rajiv Sharma, senior vice-president, COA. “I was not in the city and was busy with some already planned assignments for judo. I am not aware of anything. However, the invite should have been clearly addressed to the president/secretary COA instead of presidents/secretaries of the UT Sports’ associations,” said NS Thakur, general secretary, COA.

Notably, the meeting was called as the follow-up of the December 16 meeting (with the Secretary Sports) and to allow sports associations (through two-slide presentation) to interact with the UT Administrator. The meeting aimed at strengthening the sports landscape in the city by focusing on infrastructure development, promoting consistent sporting events and addressing the challenges faced by local sportspersons.

The Administrator, in his opening address, claimed to have listened to the suggestions, concerns, and challenges raised by the sports associations, emphasising his commitment to ensuring that the existing facilities and opportunities are fully utilized for the development of sports in Chandigarh. “Chandigarh has the necessary infrastructure and facilities. However, to truly excel, we need to maximise their utilisation,” the administrator had said. The COA—which is planning hosting of Chandigarh State Games for almost two decades now—had witnessed two elections in a single term as affiliated units acted as ‘mute spectators’ for the reasons best known to them. The associations, who attended the meeting with the Administrator, actively participate in forming the COA body and have their own system of supporting the COA.