National Games in controversy again

CHENNAI : The Goa government and the Indian Olympic Association appear to be at loggerheads over the hosting of the National Games after conflicting statements from both bodies regarding the issue.
The long-delayed Games has been the subject of claims and counter-claims from both parties and the latest flashpoint was the Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reportedly making a statement in the assembly on Wednesday, that the state would be unable to host the Games in 2019. He also reportedly claimed that they had requested the IOA for fresh dates in May 2020.

However, on Thursday, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said that there were currently no plans to reschedule the Games. “We have received no official communication from the Goa government. So as far as we are concerned, we are committed to hosting the Games in November,” he said.

This raises a giant question mark over the Games. “Hosting it in 2020 is not very realistic as the IOA has never hosted the National Games in an Olympic year,” Goa Olympic Association secretary Gurudatta Bhakta said. The IOA is yet to give an indication that it has a feasible plan to shift the Games out of Goa and hold it elsewhere. This makes it very real, the possibility that the next edition of the Games will only be held in 2021, six full years after the last one in Kerala.

The development comes three days after an IOA meeting asked the Goa government to cover for the sponsorship loss that it had incurred thanks to the Games being continuously delayed and suggested dates for the event in November. “Because of the continuous delay on the part of the Government of Goa in hosting the 36th National Games, the IOA has lost all its sponsors which it had organised for the 36th National Games.

The loss of revenue to IOA needs to be made good either through additional fee by the Government of Goa or through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) organised through Government of Goa or to be made by sponsorship fee organised by Government of Goa. It may please be noted that Goa was supposed to host the National Games in 2011.”

The fine of Rs 10 crore that the IOA had imposed on the Goa government has apparently been renamed and reduced. It has now been brought down to Rs 6 crore and is now an ‘additional hosting fee’. “The last date for raising the revenues of Rs 6 crore...is 30th Sept 2019.”