Promising fencers fall prey to official apathy at Khelo India State Center of Excellence in Jammu | Special Report

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New Delhi, Nov 9: The concept of Khelo India State Centre of Excellence in fencing in Jammu was initiated with the idea of giving more opportunities to promising youngsters from the region who have the potential to win glory for India in the future.

Instead, those shortlisted for the Khelo India scheme in Jammu had a harrowing time due to official red tape and lack of coordination between key stakeholders, the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council and Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters in Delhi.

Of the 60 players selected for the scheme, several didn't join from day one of the project in 2022 as there was no accommodation. Those selected from Kashmir Valley didn't turn up, while some from the Jammu region joined the project with the hope of a good beginning.

Lack of accommodation facilities was a burning issue at the start of 2022 and has remained unsolved till date. "Which is why several selected fencers have quit and only a handful are still clenching with a hope of good prospects in future," one of the officials associated with the scheme told MyKhel.

The selected players weren't only denied proper training but had to make arrangements for their accommodation and meals. "We had to stay in a Sikh Gurudwara for a month in Jammu as there was no official accommodation provided by J&K Sports Council," one of the fencers selected for the Khelo India scheme told MyKhel over the phone from Reasi. "We did less practice and more time finding a place to stay and cooking meals."

Another player from district Ramban has quit the Khelo India scheme. "I used to stay on my own in Jammu thinking that something good would happen one day," the fencer from district Ramban claimed. "I had to go back home as my parents weren't able to afford money for my stay in Jammu and practice fencing."

Currently, there is no fencing coach at the centre and the high-performance manager G Nagasubramanian has the task of overseeing the practice. Also Read: Khelo India State Center of Excellence for Rowing in Murky Water

Nuzhat Gul, a senior official of J&K Sports Council didn't respond to the text messages from this reporter. Incidentally, the J&K Sports Council posted a video clip on social media about the progress in fencing at the Khelo India State Center of Excellence after the message was sent.

J&K Sports Council signed a MoU with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in December 2021 to set up a Khelo India State Center of Excellence for fencing in Jammu. Sixty players from the Jammu and Kashmir region were shortlisted for the scheme in 2022. Jammu's MA Stadium was the venue for practice.

The first setback was when high-performance manager Deepak Singh quit within a short span of time. Recently assistant fencing coach Bhisham Singh quit.

Under the scheme young fencers shortlisted for the project were promised accommodation; food and training. Last year in May, a review meeting was conducted. One of the agendas of the meeting was the lack of hostel facilities.

"Till date nothing has happened regarding accommodation," one of the SAI officials familiar with the development informed. "The project never took off on expected lines due to official red tape."

The J&K Sports Council has appointed a dietitian among others for the project, but there is no hostel facility. "Those players who can afford it are still coming for practice while others have quit the Khelo India scheme," one of the fencers shortlisted for the scheme told MyKhel.