Jamshedpur, Sept. 30: With National Games around the corner, Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) has take up a responsibility far from its usual organisational work for the mega event.

The organisation would look into the affairs of nurturing talents in certain sports for the forthcoming event.

First in line under the JOA radar is Sepak Takraw, a sport that has almost no takers in states such as Jharkhand.

No one has taken the initiative of forming a state association for this discipline and getting affiliation. Neither have matches been played nor have players have been identified.

According to the rules, a state association can get affiliation from the national body concerted only after it gets a letter to that effect from it’s the federation nurturing the discipline. Because there are no associations here, JOA has been asked to look into the training, promotion and nurturing of state players for Sepak Takraw till the Games.

Sepak Takraw is a sport that has origins in Southeast Asia. Also known as Takraw, the game is a cross between football and volleyball. It is played on a badminton court using a hand-woven ball called takraw.

Generally, two teams of three players each clash in a Takraw match. Players are allowed to hit the ball across the net by only using their feet and head. Takraw is a popular sport in Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and Indonesia and was played in the last National Games, in Guwahati.

Now, JOA is thinking about taking the sport to carious areas of the state to spot talents who could represent Jharkhand in the Games. The organisation is also contemplating requesting the national federation to provide coaches and support to promote the sport in Jharkhand.

JOA has also been given the added responsibility of churning out swimmers for the event.

A controversy surrounding a swimming body that was formed in Jamshedpur has led to the JOA being give this job. The state government us unwilling to take chances and opted to make JOA the authority to select swimmers.

JOA has plans of conducting selection trials to spot swimmers. It has also requested the Swimming Federation of India to grant coaches for the state.

JOA general secretary S.M. Hashmi told The Telegraph: “We are looking after these disciplines only till National Games, after which associations would be formed for the respective events.”