Sanatan stands by tourney rules

TO avoid dealing with protests and complaints, sometimes sorted until 2am on match days, only players with parents who are Hindu will be able to take part in this year’s sports events of the Shree Sanatan Dharam Sabha of Fiji National Convention.

Sports wing committee member Naren Chand clarified this.

“In the past, we have had to deal with protests from teams and sometimes this would go on until 1-2 in the morning and then we have a full day coming up the next morning,” Chand said.

“So, this year, all 25 branches of the Sabha have agreed to have only those players taking part whose parents are Hindu.”

Chand’s clarification was to clear queries made by a player from Votualevu Sanatan.

Rovil Kumar, who has been taking part in the Sanatan Conventions from 2010, has been stopped from playing this year because his mother is of Muslim background.

“I’m the president of my mandali, which is one of the most respected and known mandali in our locality. I have taken part in so many religious activities to uphold the values of Sanatan in my community,” Kumar said.

“I also held the position of national youth sports president in 2017 and fielded the national Sanatan youth wing team in the 2017 convention in Korovuto and Ba respectively. With all this effort and dedication towards Sanatan values, it has discriminated against me and given me a feeling of racism,” Kumar added.

Chand said while he understood Kumar’s point of view, the decision was made so that the running of the tournament became easier for all.

“We know there are many Hindu out there with mixed parents and they follow Sanatan but there have been many occasions when teams and players have taken advantage of this,” said Chand.

“We have sought legal advice on this and since it is part of the tournament rules, we will abide by it. However, no one will be stopped from participating in prayers and other activities.

“We will even allow the players in question to come and assist their teams as officials, but they will not be able to play,” Chand added.

The 2024 Sanatan Convention will be held in Labasa during the Easter holidays.