With the South Asian Games scheduled to be held in September in Nepal, all is not well in some sports associations that are supposed to form pools and pick their respective squads for training.
With a good many administrators giving thought to who among them will go on joy rides, the needs of the sportsman and sportswoman are being neglected, an investigation by the Sunday Observer has revealed.
Despite notices given by both the Sports Ministry and the National Olympic Committee to start preparations, very little or nothing is being done.
“You can expect what always happens in the past and that is they wait for the last minute to finalize things and the poor sportsman and woman has to pay for the sins of the big wigs. Can you expect any medals more than what Sri Lanka has been getting over the past years with this kind of attitude”, said one sports official who did not want to be named as he fears the consequences.
He said that not only training to perform but also the nutrition and healthcare needs of players and athletes are being neglected.
Some sports bodies don’t even have an administration in place to run their affairs while some have not even held their annual general meetings.
India is expected to dominate the games but countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have improved in their ratings.