Players suffer as sqay factions fight

Panaji: Several sqay martial arts players were left in tears after being told that they cannot represent the state at the 37th National Games in Goa.

The players, which includes young college students, were preparing for more than a month, only to be told that their association -- Sqay Association of Goa (SAOG) – do not have necessary affiliation.

Headed by PWD minister Nilesh Cabral, SAOG is affiliated to the Sqay Martial Arts Federation of India, while the from the Indian Olympic Association recognises Sqay Federation of India. In Goa, the body affiliated to SFI is Martial Art Goa Sqay Association (MAGSA).

MAGSA is headed by zilla panchayat member Siddesh Naik, son of Minister of state for tourism and head of Goa Olympic Association, Shripad Naik.

“We gave a demo and practised for a long time only after the SAG (Sports Authority of Goa) asked us,” said SAOG coach Sachin Shinde, who along with his players protested infront of National Games deputy CEO and SAG executive director Geeta Nagvekar on Monday. “Our players were part of the National Games promotion videos. Our association is a registered one. Now, they’ve asked us to provide affiliation letter from the IOA.”

Shinde said they have been active in the state for over 13 years and won plenty of medals for Goa. They were also awarded cash rewards for winning medals at the national level.

“We don’t have affiliation from IOA, but Sqay Federation of India's recognition was withdrawn by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports," said Shinde.

Interestingly, SAG had asked both factions to prepare teams for the National Games preparations.

"From IOA side, it is a very clear situation and we will go by the book,” said Amitabh Sharma, chairman of the games technical conduct committee. “We have been with the Sqay Federation of India for a long time. It is the federation affiliated and asked to competition. As of now, it is the legitimate body. Documents prove that."

The factionalism within the sport has left several dreams shattered.

"I took leaves from college and trained really hard for long hours. Now we don’t have a chance to play. They will question me in college. What do I tell them,” asked Vedant Naik, an MBA student from the Goa University.

Factionalism has also hit sports like volleyball, handball and taekwondo.


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