Durga Dasboro addresses a news conference in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, July 27: Assam Fencing Association president Durga Dasboro was unanimously elected president of the Fencing Association of India in the annual general meeting held here today.

Dasboro, who earlier held the post of working president of the association, has become the second sports administrator from the state to be elected to an apex post of any national sporting organisation.

Earlier, state MP Birendra Prasad Baishya held the post of chairman of the Table Tennis Federation of India.

Dasboro, who is also the chairman of the press and TV committee of the Indian Olympic Association, was first elected as vice-president of the fencing association in 1997.

He has held the posts of vice-president and senior vice-president for nine years till he was elected working president in 2006.

He was working as the acting president of the fencing association because of the poor health condition of his predecessor Arvind Khanna.

“Although I have held the post unofficially for the last three years, it is going to be more challenging now. I owe it to the Assam Olympic Association that provided me the platform to reach this position. I seek the co-operation of all my colleagues to make every initiative a grand success to take the sport to newer heights,” Dasboro, who is a former AOA president, said.

“We have succeeded in introducing the sport at the university level. Now, our plan is to introduce fencing in the CBSE schools and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country,” he added.

“Besides, we are quite disappointed by the fact that Delhi is hosting the Commonwealth Games next year and fencing is not on the agenda. We will work towards the inclusion of the sport in the Commonwealth Games by the next editions,” Dasboro added.

Ironically, though Dasboro holds some of the key posts in the national arena, he could not find a berth for himself in the chief minister Tarun Gogoi-led AOA jumbo executive committee that comprises over 100 members.

“It is apparent that some of us are ignored in the state sporting arena because of our political and ideological differences with those at the helm of affairs, which is unfortunate and uncalled for in case of sports. There are few people in the AOA who have dragged politics into sports because of which people who want to work for the wellbeing of sports are ignored.

“I hope sense will prevail some day and we will be given an opportunity to work,” said the sports and home minister of the erstwhile AGP government.

About the AGM held today, Arun Kumar Vij, who retained the post of secretary general, said they decided to host three international fencing meets in the country next year.

“We propose to host the Asian Junior and Cadet Championship in Karnataka, Commonwealth Junior Championship in Maharashtra and a SAF meet in Thane,” he said.

Asked about the swine flu detection among the fencers of the country who participated in the Asian Junior and Cadet Championship in Singapore, Vij said: “The threat is over. Players who tested positive have been treated and discharged from hospitals. Two more players will undergo tests today and the impression we have been given by the medical authorities is that there is nothing to be alarmed.”