Training of sportspersons in UP may go for a toss?

LUCKNOW: Training of sportspersons across all the stadiums in the state may come at a standstill if the state government fails to extend the contract of 400-odd ad hoc coaches before the imposition of the model code of conduct.

The 11-month contract was scrapped a month in advance on January 31, and if the process for fresh allotment of contract is not done before the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, the sportspersons will not be able to undergo training before June as fresh contracts will not be given to them till then.

Without training/coaching, the state government’s mission to produce medal-winning Olympic athletes from the state before 2020 will receive a major jolt.

Sports minister Chetan Chauhan said: “Let me see what we can do in this. I don’t think there would be any problem in giving fresh contracts to ad hoc coaches as it is a routine thing and the election code of conduct will not have any impact on this.”

However, officials at the Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate are still in a fix over the issue.

“There is no arrangement of extending contracts of ad hoc coaches without holding fresh trials. We can’t hold trials overnight and appoint them for the next season (April 1 to February 28),” an official of the sports directorate said on condition of anonymity.

“We are aware of the situation. Let’s see what happens in the next few days,” he added.

Scrapping of even one-month contract in the current season has left many a coaches in a fix as they are finding it hard to survive.

“If we get the next fresh contract in June, it would be just seven months for us and I am unable to understand how will I manage things over the next three months,” an ad hoc coach Dinesh said.

Instead of ‘begging’ to the authorities concerned, an ad hoc coach in soft tennis has decided to move to New Delhi to take up some coaching contracts for survival.

“There is no work as well as no money in the last one month and even I am unable to pay clear the dues (house rent) to my landlord,” he said, adding, “In a day or two, I would be moving to Delhi to take up a coaching assignment so that I can pay the bills of my expenses.”

“Ad hoc coaches are the backbone of training/coaching in the state as barring the sports hostels and collages, the job is being done by ad hock coaches since long. The permanent coaches would also remain busy in poll process, and training of the sportspersons would not be done then,” said a female coach Rachna.

However, one of the regional sports officers accepted that managing coaching/training at the stadiums across the state in summer vacation would be difficult as there would be no one to take care of them.

“I don’t know the legal implications, but I would suggest that authorities should extend the contracts of the ad hoc coaches for at least upcoming season so that coaching/training could start on April 1,” he said on condition of anonymity.