Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Nandita Gorlosa lays stress on improved coaching in Assam

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Nandita Gorlosa said today that her department is going to increase the number of coaches in the State. She also advised the sports organisers of the state to take the initiative to encourage colleges in their locality to promote sports.

Gorlosa attended an event at the Bhogeswari Phukanani Indoor Stadium, hosted by the State Level Advisory Committee for Students and Youth Welfare, today. The purpose of the event was to get suggestions from officials of state and district sports associations for creating a detailed plan for state players for major events like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and World Championship.

The majority of representatives from the State and District Sports Associations who attended the meeting urged the minister to increase the number of coaches, as that continues to remain a grey area in grooming athletes of high calibre. Apart from this, they believe that the state government needs to contribute financially to the state associations since they require funds for holding training camps to get teams tuned for various national competitions.

In her reply, Gorlosa said, “We’re working to increase the number of coaches in the state by imparting training to local players. We are also planning to bring in expert coaches from outside the state. We have already identified 16 disciplines where elite coaches—who may come from outside the country—can be hired.”

She added, “We need to promote university games, and colleges have to play a crucial role in this area. Therefore, I’m asking each of you to visit colleges in your areas and urge them to support athletes by organising regular sports activities.”

The event was also attended by Jayanta Mallabaruah, Minister of PHE, etc., who is also the president of the Assam Athletics Association, Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Numal Momin, secretary of the Assam Olympic Association Lakhya Konwar, Member Secretary of the State Level Advisory Committee for Students and Youth Welfare Gitartha Goswami, and others.

Jayanta Mallabaruah, in his brief speech, said that district sports associations need funds to develop their infrastructure and for other reasons like training and the purchase of equipment, and it would be nice if the sports department could arrange it within their limited budget.

Meanwhile, sports organizers in the meeting urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to become president of the Assam Olympic Association. Addressing the meeting, Hiranya Saikia, the general secretary of the All Assam Taekwondo Association, said, “If we go through the history, we will see that the chief minister of the state is invariably elected president of the Assam Olympic Association. Sarma is working tirelessly to develop sports in Assam, and we are also planning to host the National Games again in 2027. So, we should invite him to become president of the Assam Olympic Association.”

It may be mentioned here that the Annual General Meeting of the Assam Olympic Association is scheduled to be held within the next couple of months, where the new executive committee of the association will also be formed.

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