|
The state sports department will host a five-day mega meet from Wednesday to select students for government-run day boarding and residential schools.
The sports meet will be held at Jaipal Singh Munda Mega Sports Complex in Hotwar, Astroturf Hockey Stadium and Birsa Munda Football Stadium, both in Morabadi.
Speaking to newspersons on Tuesday, state sports director Ashok Kumar said around 2,300 players were likely to participate in the competition, which would include hockey, badminton, volleyball, basketball, archery, athletics, kho-kho, football, kabaddi and taekwondo.
“The aim is to identify fresh talent for our day boarding and residential centres,” he said, adding that the state sports department has earmarked Rs 45 lakh for this and another tournament in April.
Jharkhand has around 28 residential cradles and 109 day boarding centres. However, most of these centres are in a shambles.
Sarojini Lakra, organising secretary of the tournament, conceded these problems but said the department was making attempts to upgrade the centres.
“Let’s not look into the past. The department is making concerted efforts to give a fillip to these cradles,” said Lakra.
With the mercury rising, the timing of the meet is, indeed, questionable. The event was supposed to be held in January but Lakra said that due to political instability and other factors the meet had to be postponed.
The sports department had organised a similar talent hunt last week, but the turnout was dismal. Merely 172 turned up and only 60 qualified for medical tests.
Lakra hoped this time would be better. “The low turnout was because of matric and intermediate examinations. We are hopeful that this time the response will be better,” she signed off.
|
