Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Feb 17: Chairman of Alva’s Education Foundation, Moodbidri, Dr Mohan Alva, termed Goolihatti D Shekhar, as the worst sports minister the state has ever seen. He was speaking after inaugurating a function organized by Mars Associates at Akash Hall of Fortune-Inn, Manipal, on Tuesday February 16, for the release sports fortnightly, ‘Kreedangana’. He was making his anger evident, at the disorderly manner in which the sports meets of the state are being organized, and at the same time, not forgetting to request MLA, Raghupati Bhat, who was present, not to feel offended by these comments.
“We should emulate China, which, unlike the USA that has been importing sportspersons from elsewhere, has been scaling greater heights in sports through will power, vision and implementing properly drawn plans. But, both the centre and the states in India have not been showing any interest in giving importance to sports activities. Sports need to be given full support since the primary and high school levels. It is tragic, that the state has not been maintaining records of achievements of the age groups, 14, 17, and 19, in different sports fields,” he commented.
To support his claim, he questioned as to how many people of the country know that the hockey World Cup is being organized in India, that had won nine gold medals at the global level, from February 28 this year. “In the colleges functioning under Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and Vishweshwaraya Technological University, most of the physical education teachers are bogus. As regards the sports records of Mangalore University, I have all the figures on my finger tips,” he said.
Cricketer Dodda Ganesh, who participated in the function, said that field of sports is suffering because of the lack of proper physical education at the school level. Speaking after releasing the fortnightly, he requested the people not to make comparisons between cricket and other sports activities.
In his address, MLA, K Raghupati Bhat, concurred with the fact that sports gets less priority in the government circles. “In our state, there are no physical education teachers at the pre university level. In China, no schools and colleges, either government or private, are issued permission unless they have proper stadiums,” he pointed out.
Sports achievers, Janaki M Brahmavar, Gregory D’Silva and Shruti Teerthahalli, were honoured on this occasion.
District Wakf Board president, T S Budan Basha, presided. Pramod Madhwaraj, Manipal Kasturba Medical College dean, Dr Sripati Rao, District Builders Association president, Jerry Vincent Dias, Brahmavar SMS College physical education director, Chandrashekhar Hegde, and the fortnightly executive director, T S Jafrulla, participated as chief guests. The publication’s executive editor, Shakil H Honnala, delivered the introductory address.