Patna: In a significant meeting held at Vikas Bhawan, officials from various sports associations in Bihar, led by the Bihar Olympic Association, met with Sports Minister Surendra Mehta. The primary agenda was to foster harmony between the Sports Department and the sports associations.
During the discussions, the sports officials highlighted numerous issues affecting their respective sports. They voiced concerns over the current functioning of the Bihar State Sports Authority. Except for the Bihar Athletics Association, all associations called for the transfer of the current Director-cum-Secretary and the reinstatement of an officer from the Bihar Administrative Service. They also demanded an investigation into the appointment of an Indian Police Service officer to the position, expressing strong objections to the preferential treatment given to certain associations by the Sports Authority.
The associations emphasized that the state government should focus on developing sports infrastructure and providing modern equipment, rather than organizing sports events, except for school sports. They pointed out the misuse of substantial funds in the name of leagues and demanded an immediate halt to such practices. The officials revealed that in the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, crores of rupees allocated for sports grants, sports welfare funds, and sports equipment did not benefit the associations and players but were diverted to other expenditures.
The Sports Minister was invited to a sports seminar organized by the Bihar Olympic Association. The meeting saw the participation of key figures including Md Mustaq Ahmed, Secretary of the Bihar Olympic Association; Imtiaz Hussain, Secretary of the Bihar Football Association; Ramashish Prasad Singh, Secretary of the Bihar Volleyball Association; Kumar Vijay from the Bihar Kabaddi Association; Dr. Kaushal Kishore Singh, Secretary of the Cycling Association of Bihar; Pankaj Kumar, President of the Bihar Handball Association; Brajkishore Sharma, Secretary of the Bihar Handball Association; Manoj Kumar, Secretary of the Bihar Archery Association; Ram Vilas Pandey, Secretary of the Bihar Swimming Association; Ram Uday Singh, Secretary of the Bihar Judo Association; Gauri Shankar, Secretary of the Bihar Ball Badminton Association; Santosh Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Bihar Netball Association; and Avinash Kumar from the Squash Racket Association. Representatives from the Badminton, Basketball, Lawnball, Triathlon, Taekwondo, and Mallakhamb associations were also present.
