JAMMU: Wrong decision making cooped with lack of qualified and technical individuals has led to near nil attendance at once most crowded coaching centre of table tennis at Indoor Complex, MA Stadium, here.
There was time when over 100 young boys and girls used to attend to the regular coaching sessions at the only government-run facility in the state. The game was second to badminton in terms of number of trainees at the sports hub of MA Stadium.
However, wrong decision making and shifting of only coach to other district in 2010 by the higher ups in the State Sports Council proved fatal for the game. In the absence of a permanent coach, the trainees started leaving the coaching centre to give it a deserted look.
“There is no denying the fact that wrong decisions by the Sports Council have spoiled one of the most loved games in Jammu. Firstly, the Council promoted the only coach in the state to the managerial position without finding a suitable alternative and then shifted him to district Udhampur in 2010 without paying any heed to the difficulties of young talented stuff,” upset with the functioning of the Sports Council, a parent recalled.
“Secondly, they (Council) revert the person to his original position of a simple coach a few months after he was shifted to the same Indoor Complex in 2012. The unjustified decision of reversion by the Sports Council turned out to be a demoralizing factor for this senior coach. By then, the number of trainees had already come down to around 10,” he mentioned.
The ill conceived decisions lead to trainees kept on deserting the centre for better options available with private coaching academies around the city. “In the last four years or so a lot of damage has been caused to the game. Now, efforts are being made to add to the exiting number of trainees and we are hopeful of a better response,” said table tennis coach, Satish Gupta.
At present, the total strength of trainees was below 10 and most of these boys and girls prefer to come late in the evening to practice either with parents or senior players.
“There are many reasons for the less number of trainees. I must say that young boys and girls from good family background have shifted to private academies which comparatively have better facilities,” informed the coach.
Two such table tennis academies have been opened in Nanak Nagar and Trikuta Nagar areas of the city while another one operates from the newly established KC Sports Club in Paloura area of the city.