The step taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council with regard to mandating all recognized sports associations to conduct district and UT level championships and selection trials in government-owned sports facilities across the Union Territory will go a long way in bringing fairness and providing level playground to all the budding athletes in J&K.
Though it is a first good step in bringing transparency and uniformity in different games played across the region but there is lot more to do to ensure that things become free from prejudice and discrimination as under the present set-up there is a lot of scope to give edge to the blue-eyed lot thus killing the spirit of true sportsmanship. Jammu Kashmir’s track record in the matter of favouritism in providing opportunities to the promising youth at the Government infra-facilities, arrogance of coaches and in selections at various levels has not been fair and objective.
There are a number of cases in which kin of the coaches and people associated with the sports bodies get preferences in selection trials and sports competitions, a practice which has plagued the sports set-up in J&K for long. Though rules and guidelines mandate that selection trials should be conducted in the presence of members of J&K sports Council but unfortunately this is not ensured by the sports associations and at times by the government sports body as well leaving a scope for partiality and lopsided selections. Instances of interference of top bureaucrats, police officers and politicians have been in abundance at all levels of popular sports.
The J&K Sports Council should also ponder on this aspect and make it mandatory for all sports associations to conduct sports competitions and trials in the presence of responsible officials of the Sports Council to bring in accountability, transparency and fairness.
Following all the guidelines in letter and spirit is the need of the hour and those running the affairs of the sports in J&K should take up this call very seriously as this is imperative for the progress of sports in the Union Territory and giving equal opportunities to one and all.
As far as mandating the use of government edifice in selection trials and sports competition is concerned, the decision has once again proven that the people at helm are committed to improve the standard of sports in J&K by bringing in transparency, fairness and uniformity besides upgrading the existing sports edifice in the region.
