Punjab Govt-POA tussle leaves Goa-bound players in the lurch

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, October 19

With the Punjab Olympic Association (POA) and the Punjab Government being on the warpath, 350-odd sportspersons will have to dig deep into their pockets to bear their travel expenses for the 37th National Games, slated to be held in Goa from October 26 to November 9.

Observer not invited for poll: Minister

• Government says the September 2 POA poll was not valid as the government observer was not invited
• POA says the poll was presided over by Amarnath Jindal, a retired judge of the Punjab & Haryana HC
• Sports Director Harpreet Singh Sudan said the preparations for the games were not being hampered
• TA and other expenses were being directly credited to the accounts of the sportspersons

Sensing that the development has the potential to demoralise the players, the POA has made it clear that in the event of poor performances, it should not be held responsible.

In the past edition of the games, the state government had provided the POA with finances through the Punjab State Sports Council. However, this time, in the absence of any funding, the POA has now asked its state sports associations to “go-ahead with the reservation of railway tickets (sleeper class).” It is a known fact that the state associations are perennially short of cash, which means the players themselves will have to pay for their travel and other expenditure. The government says the state government does not recognise the current set of POA office-bearers, leading to the stalemate.

Consequently, coaching-cum-preparatory camps have also been affected. Sources said the contingent would be hard-pressed to improve upon its 10th place ranking it achieved in the 2022 Gujarat National Games.

The POA has decided to bear the cost of its players through its own sources. This is being done “to avoid any embarrassment at the opening ceremony to be graced by the Prime Minister.”

POA secretary general Raja KS Sidhu said, “I am doing my level best to sort out the issue.”Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said the government did not recognise the POA because the September 2 elections were not valid as the government observer was not invited.

Raja Sidhu said there was no rule whatsoever which demanded that an observer of the Sports Department should be present. He said the sportspersons would not be discriminated against and all expenses would be paid to them.

Gurdaspur-based international judokas Karamjit Mann and Anmoldeep Singh have decided to fly to Goa on their own expenses. Incidentally, there are scores of other sportspersons who are all set to reach Goa by air. “If we have to perform well, we need to travel by air. When will Punjab’s politicians and bureaucrats understand this?” remarked a Goa-bound judo player.