NEW DELHI: This is beyond ridiculous. Eleven years since Goa signed the Host City Contract and more than four years since the last edition of the National Games was held in Kerala, the state is seeking postponement number 4 (emphasis ours).
To recap, the Goa government had expressed its inability to host the event in March-April this year citing to the general elections. Western India’s coastal state had mentioned security and volunteer related issues during the elections as reasons for postponing the much-delayed National Games, which were originally planned for 2016.
The dates set aside for the Games at that juncture were from March 30 to April 14. The Goa government had at the time proposed a new window of October-November. Which was when it was decided that the Games would be held from November 1-16.
However, at the meeting in the capital called Monday to discuss logistical matters for the November window, the Indian Olympic Association was “shocked” at Goa’s decision to ask for yet another postponement.
IOA general secretary Rajeev Mehta had earlier said that they would consider shifting the Games out of Goa altogether if it did not show commitment to host them. It is more than high time that the IOA bites the bullet and pass on hosting duties to “next in line” Chhattisgarh.
In any case, when the 36th edition of the National Games was to be hosted by Goa in November 2018, the IOA had then declared that the next three editions would be in Chhattisgarh (2019), Uttarakhand (2020) and Meghalaya (2022).
Seen from this perch, the most practical way forward is for the IOA to check whether Chhattisgarh is up to the task. And move on from this whole sorry Goan saga.
