Goa may outsource some National Games events

PANAJI: The Goa Olympic Association (GOA) is not in favour of spending extravagantly on creating infrastructure for the National Games 2016, particularly in disciplines like shooting and cycling where interest and participation here is negligible.

Rifle shooting and cycling, for now, has been included among the 30 disciplines for the National Games 2016 but the GOA has called for a special general body meeting later this month to take a final call.

The GOA feels 'outsourcing' the events to Pune or Bangalore could be a better solution.
"Considering the cost of investment, cost of maintenance and number of players involved in the sport here in Goa, the government should think of outsourcing rather than investing heavily. The Games infrastructure should be value for money," GOA general secretary Gurudatta Bhakta told TOI on Sunday.

Bhakta made the same suggestion at last week's National Games organizing committee meeting, chaired by chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, and according to sources had many voices of agreement, including one from defence minister Manohar Parrikar who also attended the meeting.

According to rough estimates, creation of infrastructure for rifle shooting in Goa could cost approximately Rs 50 crore, while a cycling velodrome would also eat considerably into the games budget.

It's not just the cost of creating infrastructure for rifle shooting and cycling that bothers GOA. "Maintaining it will cost a bomb," said Bhakta.

"Besides, if we create such infrastructure, will it be put to use? We have hardly any rifle shooters in Goa and cycling, at best, is a recreational sport here," he said.

The state government has given the nod for the National Games to be a minimum of 28 games and a maximum of 32 games affair but as the final list gets prepared there could be severe heartburn for several popular and aspiring games.

The popular sport of baseball -- medal winners for Goa at the Nationals for ages now -- is among the game that is likely to be dropped, largely because it's not an Olympic sport. The same rule, however, is not applicable to squash, another non-Olympic sport, which has not surprisingly found favour with the GOA: the president of the World Squash Federation is N Ramachandran, and if you needed any reminding, is also the president of Indian Olympic Association.

Rugby, netball, fencing and triathlon, all of which featured prominently at the National Games 2015 in Kerala have also been left out in the cold.

Sepaktakraw and wushu have also not found favour.

"The state government has the option of including one or two sports at the National Games but I don't think that will happen in Goa. We cannot afford any extravagant spending," said Bhakta.
Games Goa will play at National Games 2016

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