Zero attendance at 4 of 10 coaching centres in Goa, reveals surprise check

Panaji: The Sports Authority of Goa’s surprise inspection at regional coaching centres in north Goa threw up alarming findings on the first day.
Four of the ten centres that were inspected last week had no trainees present, despite one centre having an enrolment of 60 youngsters. At another centre, there were just three players, which included a mother-son duo, both playing amongst themselves, while another coach was found to be watching cricket on an adjacent field, since no trainees had turned up for his own training.
The surprise inspections were conducted by Sandeep Warlikar, in-charge of SAG’s coaching section, after being empowered by an April 4 memorandum issued by executive director Geeta Nagvenkar.
“At least at two of these coaching centres, it is not uncommon to see either two or zero attendance on most days,” a senior official told TOI. “The coaches are not taking their jobs seriously. Nobody had an inkling about the inspection and most of them were caught off-guard. This is only the start, there will be more such checks across the state.”
The defaulting coaches have been served with a show cause.
According to sources, there was zero attendance in athletics, wrestling and shooting ball during the inspection, while six players turned up for volleyball training, an hour behind schedule and ten minutes after the surprise check had concluded.
“At the athletics centre, there was neither a coach nor trainees, even though SAG records showed that nobody had applied for leave,” said the official.
“Not all coaching centres were found wanting. There are many coaches who are doing their job seriously. In tennis ball cricket, boxing, badminton and hockey, there were enough trainees,” he added.
The surprise inspections and a slew of other measures are a result of a meeting of the SAG coaches and the coaching section with secretary (sports) Suneel Anchipaka and Nagvenkar on Feb 27. Sports minister Govind Gaude has endorsed the reforms.
It was here that the new guidelines were issued, and it included coaches being regular and punctual at their place of posting. The meeting also barred coaches from bringing along their own children at their centres during coaching hours for personal activities.
“No coach will be permitted to leave the coaching centre during duty hours to drop or pick their children to/from school or for any other personal reasons. Only in case of an emergency, the coach may leave his/her centre but with the movement register duly filled,” states the note that was later circulated to all coaches.
The new measures have found favour with the state sports associations, many of whom have officially lauded the SAG.
“These efforts are intended to bring greater professionalism, accountability, and transparency in the system, while ensuring effective use of public funds and better outcomes for athletes,” said Sandeep Heble, coordinator for Goa Table Tennis Association and Goa Badminton Association. “While many coaches are working diligently, frequent complaints and dwindling trainee strength in certain disciplines has necessitated the creation of a more robust and transparent system.”