Srinagar: In a perfect example of how our sports bodies and organizations work and why is our sports lagging far behind from rest of the India, Department of Youth Services and Sports J&K has termed elite sports discipline like Cycling as Non-Olympic sport in its annual calendar of activities list.
DYSS J&K, that deals with school level Sports activities of J&K which cater to hundreds of thousands of school going students, has been mentioning Cycling as Non-Olympic discipline since last couple of years without anyone noticing it or trying to rectify the glaring mistake.
DYSS JK in its annual calendar of 2024-2025 issued on May-1-2024 and signed by Deputy Director Central mentioned Cycling as Non Olympic sports discipline. ( Link of DYSS Website : https://dgyssjk.org/pdf/calendar%202024-25.pdf )
The DYSS JK its calendar of 2023-24 had made same mistake by terming cycling as Non-Olympic discipline. The annual calendar for 2023-24 was issued on 23-03-2023 and was again signed by Deputy Director Central. link of DYSS JK Website : https://dgyssjk.org/pdf/Calendar%202023-24.pdf )
While it can be termed as human error once, but same thing happening twice in the important calendar of the activities of J&K’s premier sports organization that is responsible for nurturing our future sports stars can’t be termed just an error but lack of sports knowledge. It highlights the issue of how our sports organizations, particularly Government Sports Organizations are run and operated with people at helm hardly having any basic knowledge of sports or care for it.
While in 2023, it may have happened by human error, but in 2024-25 calendar the same organization and persons responsible were able to remove Under-14 category from cycling competition in the column of calendar but again kept it as Non-Olympic discipline.
This small but a grave error as for as sportspersons is concerned highlights the irony faced by Sports in J&K and J&K Sports stars. In the Organization’s under Government hardly anyone cares for sportspersons or gives them the respect that they deserve.
The trend of easy and plenty of medals in lesser known martial art sports disciplines have sent our Sports in the backburner with hardly anyone at the helm caring for Olympic and Elite Sports Disciplines like, Athletics, Cycling, Football, Judo, Boxing, Gymnastics, etc etc…
In Kashmir, almost everyone is World Champions when it comes to martial arts and everyone at the helm have been giving these easy medal winning stars same podium and position as that of Olympic Elite Sports Disciplines.
This is the very basic reason, why important organizations like DYSS JK missed out on such very important detail of keeping Cycling in Non Olympic discipline as for them Cycling hardly wins medal at National level, while as for them a lesser known martial art disciplines bring them whole lot of medals.
To win medal in Elite Discipline at National level, is far bigger achievement than these lesser known martial art disciplines winning World Championship or Asian Championship. For them competition is miniscule level even at International level compared to what an Olympic discipline athlete face at local and National level.
In the recent Santosh Trophy football tournament, J&K finished in top eight after suffering defeat in quarterfinal. They qualified for next year’s National Games. To give simple example of how much it is difficult in Elite Sports to win any National Championship, it is perfect one. J&K had to play first round of three matches, in which they emerged winner. Then they had to play five more matches, in which they won two and lost two and drew one. That helped them reach Quarterfinal in which they lost to Kerala by a single goal. Despite playing Nine matches in the tournament, winning five, losing two and one draw, they could only reach quarterfinal level. They didn’t win any medal.
Compared to that in these lesser known martial disciplines, athlete is assured medal mostly from the first match itself. Then leave out those non combat categories in Martial art which are itself a scam to hand medals even to those who don’t even know how to fight.
For the information Cycling has around 66 medals in Olympics, and the Country that dominates this discipline emerges out as strong at the podium. But how come these DYSS Officials who mostly sit on the positions thanks to the easy availed BPed and MPed degrees from outside J&K Universities would know that.
While our Martial Art stars shine at International level and almost everyone is National and World Champion, let’s see how many medals we will bag in upcoming National Games, when it comes to Elite Sports.