*Amateurish attitude blowing death-knell to cause of games
Rajesh Dhar
Jammu, Aug 6: No-doubt, from a last few years, the culture of Sports Academies and the emergence of sports promoters in the State have played a pivotal role in improving the standard of sports and games in the State, yet one observes that the professionalism is still lacking in the field of sports in J&K and it is being overpowered rather marred by commercialism in the scheme of things of sports Administrators, Coaches, Trainers and Organisers.
Plenty of Sports Academies (mostly private) have been established in various sports disciplines in the State, especially in this region from last around seven years.
These Academies unquestionably have caught the sportspersons young and imparted training to them to almost a perfection under experts and enabled them to hone their skill and match the same with the best in the business. However, it has been noticed that two much involvement of the trainers of these Academies with the trainees and even their parents is leading towards blowing a death-knell to the cause of sports and games in the State.
Sources said that some trainers or the coaches are more involved with the parents than their trainees and are more concerned with the off-field activities than bestowing tips in the middle, putting a question mark on their loyalty with their bosses and sincerity with their players.
“Some of the trainers leave no stone unturned in fighting for the players of their choice even in the local tourneys, keeping in mind their vested interests and their relation with the parents of these players, least caring for the health of the Academies they belong to, helping commercialism to mar professionalism,” said an aggrieved parent on the condition of anonymity.
He said in such a scenario wherein professionalism is marred for the sake of personal benefits, expecting good show by the players/teams is simply to cry for the moon.
Unless and until, you have professional approach in imparting training to the players and picking them on merit, thinking of producing good results is to flog a dead horse.
“Once you talk of professionalism, the promotion and the benefit of the players takes the front seat, while the rest of the things have to take the back seat. Professionalism apart from involving rigorous practicing with quality equipment, also involves quality organization and standard officiating,” said a coach from Sports Authority of India (SAI) while expressing anonymity.
He said one observes a nexus in the State between the coaches, trainers, organizers and even officials to pat and promote only ‘blue-eyed’ players in various disciplines of sports.
He further said that the approach of coach and captain towards a particular player is directly proportional to the success or failure of that player. For that matter, a miracle can only save hapless players, who have no backing from any side.
Sources said, too many organizers have emerged from last around five years, who off and on organize tournaments to provide opportunity to budding sportspersons hone and fine-tune their skills, adding that the organizers instead of inviting sponsors for help remain busy in charging money from the players/teams, putting a question mark on their sincerity towards the promotion of sports.
Sources further said that there are some sponsors in the region, who are enthusiastic and always ready to sponsor the events and promote sports and sportspersons in the State. However, there is a need that the organizers satisfy them with their work and organizational style for bettering the sports culture.
Simula Group of Companies, Surya Milk Products, Abhishek & Group, Atman Educational Society, KC Sports Club, besides J&K Police Department and JK Bank are few prominent sponsoring agencies to name, who are always at your disposal in promoting sports and games.
As per the experts, professionalism does not teach one to organize events by taking money from the players rather it teaches one to award and reward players with decent prizes and other incentives for their performances.
Sources said that most of the organizers, if not all, Govt of Private, only satisfy their commercial purpose of holding events, throwing professionalism into the winds, adding that either the organizers are busy in filling up the food bill forms or busy in picking the players of their choices.
What is more shocking is the fact that the organizers prefer to hold shorter version games in almost all the sports disciplines at the local level with a twin purpose of saving time and pooling money, adding that the players face very much difficulty at the higher levels in longer version games, the results of the State teams are evident.
Sources said that the height of unprofessional way of dealing things is that most of State Sports Associations invite players for the State or National Level selections either on the same day on which the trials are to be held or just a day before to open doors for favouritism or even nepotism.
The State of Jammu and Kashmir which is striving hard to carve a space on the National sports map, should immediately issue a circular with regard to barring the organizers from using unfair means at all levels of sports.
Unless and until, the Goverment takes harsh steps in inducing professionalism among coaches, trainers, organizers and officials, expecting State sportspersons to blossom at the National scene is to red rag a bull.
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