Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Nov 5: Despite the fact that the State of Jammu and Kashmir is striving hard for carving space on the country’s Sports Map, most of the Sports Associations in the State either mar talent or befool budding sportspersons for their vested interests.
It has been observed that most of the recognized Sports Associations, which are affiliated to the elitist Sports Body of the State–the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council, usually pick the teams of their choice to represent the State at the National scene, giving way to quota, favouritism and even nepotism, thus nipping the real talent at the bud.
The recognized Sports Associations in the State have their Central Secretariats either at Srinagar or in Jammu and it has been learnt that most of these Associations select the State teams predominantly on regional bias, thus sacrificing skill and class.
Sources close to Sports Council reveal that the General Secretaries of most of the ill structured Associations sometimes take big number of players from their own area, helping non sportspersons to achieve Sports Category Certificates, thus debarring real sportspersons from their meritorious rights.
Sources further said that the office bearers of the Sports Associations are more concerned about helping their favourites to achieve Sports Category Certificates than helping the State teams to blossom at the higher levels.
“It is observed that there is fictitious distribution of Sports Category Certificates. Heavy money is being exchanged by the Sports Council Officers in providing jobs to non sportspersons. Let the fraud happen is the buzz word in the Council,” revealed senior member of Sports Council.
It is pertinent to mention here that there are around 50 recognized Sports Associations in the State, with around 10 Associations having disputes within them. The Associations with disputes often leave the players in the lurch and what is more worrying is the fact that these Associations have some office bearers who are the employees of J&K State Sports Council. So, expecting clearance of the disputes of these Associations have some members from the Council is simply to cry for the moon as one faction remains always at the receiving end because of the squint-eyed treatment from the Sports Council.
Sources said that despite the fact that there are around six recognized disciplines in Martial Art, the State of Jammu and Kashmir sends the teams in around 20 Martial Art disciplines to represent it at the Nationals.
For that matter, if six Martial Art disciplines are recognized and their certificates have the validity and grace, then what about the other fourteen disciplines.
Aren’t their custodians befooling the budding sportspersons by telling them lie and making them participate in fictitious and unrecognized tournaments?
How humiliating is it that the custodians of these fictitious Associations by pooling money from the players, select the team from a particular school and make it play abroad and claim that the school has represented the country at the International level.
The disciplines like Mastogi-Do, Kapkido, Kurash and Silambam etc, despite having no recognition make State teams to represent at the higher levels, simply befooling the budding sportspersons and wasting their precious time. Making new Associations everyday and picking players has become a custom in J&K.
Other unrecognized Associations like 7-a-side cricket and speedball etc use similar ways and means to befool the players ‘community. Such Associations while finding it tough to get recognition and affiliation from concerned Federations, have taken new route of affiliating themselves with School Games Federation of India (SGFI), which is not a costlier affair.
With such a system in practice, expecting Jammu and Kashmir establish its place on the Country’s Sports Map is simply to red-rag to a bull.
When contacted vice chairman Sports Council Jammu and Member of Council’s prestigious Standing Committee, Ranjeet Kalra said, “We are trying to tighten the noose of those Sports Associations, who befool the players and play with their careers. We will soon notify the revised list of recognized Associations. We also advise the parents and the players to check with the Sports Council Office about the activities of the activities of a particular Association before sending their wards to them.”
He further said that the last Standing Committee of the Sports Council chaired by the Minister for Sports Imran Raza Ansari also considered initiating criminal proceedings through District Magistrates (who are now chairmen of District Sports Councils) to punish these fraudulent Associations.
Expressing anonymity, the General Secretary of one of the prominent Sports Associations of the State said that the Council has different yardsticks for measuring performance of the Associations.
It is need of the hour that the Government comes down heavily upon these fake Associations, to provide genuine platform for the budding sportspersons of the State, in case, Government wants to raise the standard of sports in the State.
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