The ‘lack of coordination and cooperation’ between the Andhra Pradesh Olympic Association (APOA) and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) has hampered the training of players from the state who are set to participate in the event, even That as the Government of Gujarat has also announced that it will give financial assistance to the players of their state who won gold medals in the tournament.
SAAP has not taken any initiative to provide necessary kits, sportswear or budget to the players. What is even more surprising is that till now no coaching camp was organized for the players selected for the National Games. While APOA says it has “no response to its requests and representations” regarding the National Games, SAAP says it has not received any such request.
According to the information, both SAAP and APOA have to work together in the selection and coaching of players. “But this time, it is missing,” say sources.
The schedule of the National Games was announced in July this year. However, there was no response from SAAP. As a result, players are now going to pack their bags for games without proper coaching.
APOA general secretary RK Purushottam says that the program was announced two months back. “Training camps could not be organized due to sufficient time. Also, there is no response from SAAP. APOA will bear the expenses involved in providing quality sports kits such as shoes, kit bags, tracksuits and transportation to the players. No financial assistance was received from the state government. A delegation of 250 people including players, team manager, coach, chef de mission and APOA staff is going to Gujarat,” says Mr. Purushottam.
When contacted, SAAP President Byreddy Siddhartha Reddy says that there has been no communication from APOA. “We have not received any request from the Olympic Association in the state. SAAP has not received any communication regarding the kit or the budget,” he said. When asked about the role of the government, he said, ‘the onus is on APOA’.
APOA (for the United States of Andhra Pradesh) organized the 32nd National Games in 2002 in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. The 36th National Games are to be held from 27 September to 10 October in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Bhavnagar. in 36 sports disciplines in Gujarat. National Games are being organized again after a gap of seven years. The 35th National Games were held in Kerala in 2015.