Former Executive Directors criticise decision to impose fees on students for access to state sports facilities, arguing it undermines youth participation in sports
PANAJI
Two former Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) Executive Directors have decried the move on the part of SAG to charge students fees for using the sports facilities across the state in different sports.
One of them said the sports should not be looked at as a medium to get some money into the treasury of the Goa government while the second official said that the state government sports department has no clue of what is happening at the ground level.
Former handball player and now president of Goa Handball Association VM Prabhudesai said if SAG starts charging money from students he said “The response will dwindle.”
“Sports is not a revenue earning activity. It is an endeavour to help build a healthy, resilient society,” he added.
Another former SAG Executive Director Elvis Gomes said ‘the decision is ridiculous’.
“SAG and Department of Sports And Youth Affairs have lost the connect with youth and sports,” he added.
“The concept of a government holding public money, should be only acting as a facilitator in the promotion and development of sports has been lost somewhere in the corridors of power."
“These departments are not required if they cannot help in the growth and development of budding sportspersons. That is why players have to be imported from outside the state to represent Goa as was seen during the National Games 2023,” he added.
Elvis also suggested that “the conduct of associations taking financial benefits has to be audited too.”
According to the notification issued by SAG, students using the sports facilities for swimming, badminton, cricket, hockey and basketball will have to pay on a monthly basis Rs 300, quarterly Rs 800 or Rs 3,000 in a year.
Non-student fee payments set by SAG are Rs 600, Rs 1,800 and Rs 7,000 for a month, quarter and yearly period, the notification said.
The fee structure for table tennis, weight lifting, bodybuilding, gymnastics, judo, boxing, kabaddi and kho kho is little different with regards to fee structure with students having to pay Rs 200, Rs 500 and Rs 1,800 for a month, quarterly and yearly basis.
On the other hand non students using the same facilities will have to shell out Rs 400, Rs 1,200 and Rs 4,500.
