KIYG: Chandigarh won all 5 gold in individual events

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, June 14

The recently concluded Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) may be considered as a wake-up call for the UT Administration, which boasts about promoting grassroots level players by offering them world-class facilities.

Of the 33 participating teams, the 130-member contingent of Chandigarh claimed 13th position by winning a total of 16 medals, including five gold.

Interestingly, the Chandigarh team won all their medals in individual events. Two of these five gold medals were won in boxing, two came in gatka events and one in wrestling. It was only recently that the UT Sports Department had allowed the local gatka association to use its premises at the Sector 42 Sports Complex.

Also, one bronze in cycling came at the time when the city is not having a single professional cycling track, while other medals came in judo, wrestling and boxing — the centres of which are being run under the UT Sports Department.

“This needs to be assessed. The officials should not consider the total number of medals won. The city has won five medals in gatka, which doesn’t even exist on the list of coaching offered by the department. Another medal in cycling is a completely hard work of the cyclist and her parents. The medals in boxing, wrestling and judo are again hard work of individuals and their coaches. The individual games need more attention in terms of equipment, diet and other aspects. The department should assess how well they were prepared for these games,” said a senior official.

A majority of the sports disciplines, which are played in Chandigarh, have two or more coaching centres here. This includes the infrastructure by the UT Education Department and Panjab University.

“The Chandigarh team did well and we will try to win more medals in the future,” said Dr Sunil Rayat, Joint Director, Sports.