Cancel appointment of rowing coach as asked by National federation, urges KKL
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 10 2023: The Kangleipak Kanba Lup (KKL) has urged all concerned to cancel the appointment of a kayaker as a Rowing Coach under Khelo India Programme.

In a press statement, KKL stated that the president of Rowing Federation of India (RFI) had asked the Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to immediately cancel the appointment of the kayaker as the coach for Rowing immediately negating the statement of Minister for YAS, Govindas Konthoujam, who stated Kayaking and Rowing are the same justifying the selection of a kayaker as the rowing coach for Bishnupur district.

In response to a clarification sought by Manipur Olympic Association over the statement of the YAS Minister during the felicitation programme of State contingent to the 2nd North East Olympic Games, RFI president Rajlaxmi Singh Deo also clarified that the two disciplines are totally different Olympic events, the KKL noted.

The KKL also quoted Rajlaxmi Singh Deo as saying that oars in Rowing are fixed and rowed backwards and in kayaking the oars are freely hand held and oared forwards and thus under no circumstance the two events can be identified as the same.

The above contention was revealed during the recent Seminar on revealed during the one day discussion on "FUTURE OF SPORTS IN MANIPUR WITH FAIR PLAY" organized by the Kangleipak Kanba Lup, recently at the Manipur Press Club, said KKL while urging Sports Minister to direct YAS Director to immediately "terminate" the service of the Rowing coach.

The KKL also highlighted the resolutions taken during the one day discussion which include documentation of history of sports in Manipur looking beyond the 19 Olympians the State has produced till date and also to open a grievance cell for Sportspersons in the Manipur Olympic Association or State YAS Department.

The discussion also stressed on the need to examine the causes leading to the State being reduced to 9th position in the recently held National Games in Gujarat in 2022 after having lifted the Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy in 1999, it said.

Various measures to improve the State's overall performances like addressing shortage of coaches, filling up vacant posts in concerned departments, arrangement for refresher courses for coaches, introduction of Manipur State Sports Policy, incorporating Manipur Olympic Association while fixing guidelines for the various Sports Association in the State, appointment of Consultants or Guidance Officers for every Sports disciplines etc.

were also noted, the statement said.

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