Goa prepared to host National Games-2016: Bhakta

Panaji: Goa is prepared to host the 36th National Games in November next year with full support from government, Goa Olympic Association (GOA) General Secretary Gurudutt Bhakta has said.

About 60 per cent of the infrastructural work for various sports events has been completed in the state, he claimed.

Goa's infrastructure includes three complexes -- Dr Shyama Mukherjee indoor stadium at Taleigao, and two sports complexes at Bambolim and Peddem-Mapusa -- to organise events, Bhakta told mediapersons here.

There are no accommodation facilities at the sports complexes to accommodate 10,000 players and 2,000 officials in Goa. The accommodation facilities would be provided in different hotels of the state, he said.

Out of 28 sport disciplines for National Games, Goa will prefer to participate in the events in which the state expects to win medals. "We have selected 10 disciplines," he said.

The GOA has suggested the state government to create infrastructure for cycling, skating and swimming to boost the talent of youths at grassroot level. This will also help the government to generate revenue, he said.

When asked whether the Indian Olympic Association was thinking of shifting the National Games to other states for not speeding up the infrastructural work, Bhakta said when a team of Central officials came to Goa recently to review the work, they raised some doubts, which are now cleared.

He was also of the view that players from outside the state should not be included in Goa's teams during the National games and only local talented players should be given preference in the state teams.