Irregularities, discrepancies helm Sports Department at Goa University

| FEBRUARY 15, 2017, 12:00 AM IST

Basil Sylvester Pinto

Panaji

The silverware lying in the sports department of the Goa University is rather threadbare. Save for the odd note-worthy standing at all-India level, it is a crying shame.

Genevieve D’Souza of St Xavier’s College, Mapusa may have brought GU some acclaim with a silver medal at Springboard Diving quite recently, but apart from that the scarcity of performances is bleak and oblivious. And who is to be blamed? Where the fingers of non-performance of the sportspersons should be pointed at? At the athletes themselves for lack of efforts on their part or the authorities that be for absence of desired efficacy?

A careful research and study by The Goan fingers the fault at the Goa University Department of Sports. The authoritative Sports Body at the State University Level has withstood the test of time in dereliction of their proper function. This daily’s efforts weighed in by its sources and evidence exposes their lethargic organization and discrepancies.

“It is pertinent to note that minutes of the meetings never are on time. For example for the calendar year 2016-17, the first meeting was held in July 2016 but came only September-end. The second phase meeting which was held on November 24, 2016 is yet to reach. More importantly, as per compliance of rules there is a time frame of 15 days for the rectification in the minutes, if any. But then if it reaches late how can it be corrected, if need be,” a Sports Director of a reputed college asks.

An authority of another college also voices his grievance. “There is also the case of students being deprived of their medals. For the prevailing academic year, all runners-up teams in dadminton, judo, weightlifting, powerlifting and chess are given silver medals of the 2015-16 which are never replaced till date,” he aggrieved.

Further investigations wriggles out more worms from the sordid can of the Sports Department of the Goa University. “Participation Certificates are never handed over to the students/ Sports Director on time. They are either lying piled up at the Sports Department or with the Sports Director as they are handed over/collected from the Department of Sports at the end of the last event which is in February 2017. With students kept occupied with academics at this time of the year, the Certificates are forgotten," mentioned a Sports Director. Another college authority while stating this should ideally not happen also tried to understand the situation at hand.

“There are 23 events with almost 42 colleges. The Department is really small and giving the certificates immediately is not a possibility. But it should be given as soon as possible. The Department should give all the certificates latest by March as after which the students are on study leave.”

Photo-copied documents bring out other evidence of dysfunctional practices. In recent academic years, there has been only one signatory on certificate of participation. It has to be questioned how can the Assistant Director be the only signatory when he is not a full-fledged Director? Until 2014-15 it was signed by registrar of Goa University and later they started putting stamp on the register. On the matter, a Sports Director reveals that he is okay with it so long as the certificate is valid and useful to the student in their future. At the same time, he states that it is more so a Sports Section and not a Department for which there should be a build-up. He squarely blames the Vice Chancellor at GU who has to make it a Department which includes the appointment of a Director.

It is also learnt that AIU sends Inter University calendar well in advance. Despite this for a fact, the GU students and Sports Directors are given very short notice inclusive of social media means as WhatsApp which is not the right procedure. While the Sports Directors this daily spoke to find this unacceptable, one of them stated that it is the duty of every Sports Director is to see that his college is well-prepared whatsoever the game in advance.

Otherwise it points out on his lack of preparation as well. The aforementioned Sports Director reveals that he chalks out which players are meant to represent at the State, National level well in advance and prepares them accordingly.

“The players have to be prepared at least two months before the tourney they are to participate in,” he stated. Not for nothing the college has been performing exceedingly well at the State Level with reasonable level at the inter-varsity level consistently.

What more … the Goa University Department of Sports Handbook remains the same for the last three decades and it has been photo-copied every year. A photo-copy that came to this paper's attention has important details unseen on print/ faded out.

There was a time when sports disciplines as weightlifting had its athletes given a month-long training at a residential camp. Gone are those days and the lack of productive results of Goan sportspersons at the varsity or inter-varsity level can be attributed due to lack of training. Pre coaching camps are usually never held and if it takes place for a very short period where there is lack of communication between players. One can thus never blame Goan talent wherein there lies no dearth of but which faces lack of efficacy of performances due to no proper preparation and planning.

Let us now examine the case wherein a majority of inter-collegiate tournament matches barring disciplines as football and athletics take place with officials not qualified enough. In fact, recently at the inter-university volleyball matches played at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Taleigao, there were no linesmen. It is not an uncommon sight to see quarrels occur with the main referee as a result of a debatable situation arising there from.

“The Goa University Department of Sports should mandatorily appoint at least one NIS coach ie State Coach to see overall affairs. Few games like badminton, football, volleyball, basketball are somehow managed, but shockingly the recent handball tournament had some school PE teachers officiating. Consequence of which talented sportspersons are wrongly adjudicated a decision against their favour as in a recent case in judo,” alleged a sports director.

Taking this case further, another sports director voiced in with his thoughts. “The University has a given schedule of sports events to be conducted in the academic year. They have to ensure that qualified officials are appointed at least three weeks prior to the event. If they are unable to fulfil their responsibilities, how can you expect the Director for smooth conduction of games," he asks.

It was brought to the attention of The Goan that the University Sports Department has failed to provide basic facilities like drinking water to be kept near substitute players or officials table. Nor is this basic amenity not provided, canteen facilities at or near the venue are non-existent. One can only but imagine the pitiable situation that coaches and sportspersons endure as after their first round they have very limited time to report back for their next match. They thus run the risk of being a victim of handing their opposition a walk-over due to no fault of theirs but the organizer's apathy in logistics. Take for example tournaments like badminton, table tennis which are held at the SAG Old Complex, Panaji and other sports like volleyball held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Taleigao, there are no canteen facilities and as such players and support staff have to run pillar to post for refreshments and fluids.

It has also been reliably learnt that there are several instances when the Goa University calls team say, Sr. 1 to 20 in the first half to report at 9am and 21 to 40 at 2 pm. This is a needless practice when all the first half teams called upon may not complete their games even by 2 pm, and as such the second group of teams complete their games even beyond 8pm. As such it has been suggested by various college officials that proper time slots should be allocated to teams of various disciplines in accordance to the length of time each game could take and the availability of courts/playing surface in completion of the games within that time. There have been cases the tournament extending by a day or two to complete the games. (To be continued....)

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