news details |
|
|
| Sports in limbo | | | Satwant Singh Rissam
These days whatever play-
ers or so called budding
sports talent of the state we see are mostly because of their personal craze which they develop for sports. There is a very serious and debatable issue for our state that it lacks the real approach and professionalism towards sports. When we think of sports, we take it as a past time, for fitness or for leisure. People in Jammu and Kashmir believe there is no scope in sports as a career. We can clearly see in our surroundings people refraining their children from opting for sports as a career. The sports scenario in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is lagging far behind to all other north Indian states.
There are states like Punjab & Haryana where we see many Olympians, Asian & other international players. Nowadays when enormous talent from all the states is competing at international platforms and bringing laurels to their respective state, there's barely a name from Jammu and Kashmir.
This is perhaps because of lack of proper infrastructure and coaching facilities that the sportsmen require to develop and compete at important platforms. The ailing services and facilities that are available from J&K Sports Council are not enough for the proper development of different sports in the state. Sports are trapped in politics in Jammu and Kashmir as we can see most of Sports Associations in Jammu and Kashmir are headed by politicians or their affiliate. It could also be taken as one of the reasons because of which our state lags behind despite a huge talent of sportsperson. It is a matter of great concern that in Jammu and Kashmir State some people are selected in the team based on favouritism and bribes. Even though huge amount is spent on training and grooming of players we have not been able to achieve proportionate result. However a fundamental problem of this lie in the absence of sporting culture in India as here sports is considered a secondary activity.
We see that an average Indian child gets the access to sport facilities only till the school age. The facilities probably will be there for one or two sports that too shared by so many children and many do not have such facilities. Even those who have access to facilities cannot use them properly due to load of education which is making our young generation overburdened.
There are many reasons that trouble the sportsperson in our country. Of them all, one is of financial constraints as many of sportsperson do not get a chance to travel to big sporting events held outside the country and the reasons always is the lack of fund. It becomes a reason because of which only limited number of sportsmen travel for foreign events. Such conditions also prevail in our state as not much funds are given for promotion of sports in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also witnessed that more officials than the number of sportsperson travel for foreign events and they enjoy free holidays along with their families. None of the sportsperson knows what all these officials do and what they help in during these events abroad. Sports excellence does not come naturally to people based on their natural talents. There comes a time when little grooming is to done in a professional way to the sportsmen. Interestingly no such facilities are visible in our state. In addition to it, only the rich could afford enrolment into such facilities outside state because naturally talented people may not be rich enough to use the limited sports infrastructure.
At the same time the rich people who enrol into the facilities may not excel due to the absence of natural instincts in them for such sports. Many people possessing natural abilities had to cut short their careers due to the inability to hire quality coach and no sources to fund the same.
Though several politicians and bureaucrats are associated with sports associations even in the state of Jammu and Kashmir but no one take note of serious problems of sportsmen. All they care is power and some glamour which is attached to be into such associations. Very few of them would have tried to sort the problems faced by players in Jammu and Kashmir despite spending money on meetings for formulation of broad sports policy. Despite its huge population India is always at bottom in the Olympics tally because of lack of the facilities provided in India. The dreams of sportspersons of winning medals for India are shattered as they are not provided with proper resources in India. Our country still lacks good coaches, proper infrastructure and other helpful schemes which government can provide like being done by many western nations. Indian sportsmen should be provided more financial and institutional support in order to compete at international events. Problem lies with the management of sports and not the sportsmen. I salute the spirit of Indian sportspersons, who till today have succeeded despite the odds prevailing in country. They all are the pride of millions, but often the lives of our sportsperson do not bear the value their medals have. While their victories are cherished but lots of sportspersons are forgotten after the fan fare is over in country. There is a serious need to restructure the sports and make it compatible with education scenario of the country & in turn should be followed by all states too. This only in the end can help us to shape our talent to play the games as a representative of the whole nation. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
