Players worried over failure to get seats under sports quota 

VIJAYAWADA: Several students who participate in the AP state and national level sports and games events are failing to get seats in sports quota in educational institutions to pursue professional courses.

The main reason for this is that these players were wooed by some sports and games associations at district and state levels that have no recognition from the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

When they submit their participation certificates to claim a seat under sports quota, their applications are being rejected.

In one case, a woman participated in the 11th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship-2021 held in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh in Oct. 2021. She also played in the 11th hockey senior inter-district championship in Guntur in March, 2021, then submitted this as a back-up and secured the third place.

When she applied for admission into MBBS/BDS course under sports quota for 2022-23, she was declared ineligible as per GO-Ms 272. Some players’ applications were also rejected for the sports quota seat for MBBS/BDS as some sports/games like kickboxing, karate, throwball, thai boxing, modern pentathlon, yoga, rugby, wrestling, rope skipping, cycle polo, netball, tennikoit, online and open chess are ineligible.

Those whose participation time crossed three years are also eligible to avail the sports quota.

The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh issued GO-272 making it clear that several associations that are formed to promote various sports and games must get their recognition by submitting all relevant documents including its registration as a society and the audit of its accounts.

All events being conducted by them must be informed to it and after the conduct of such events, all details including the list of players etc should be submitted for verification.

So, whenever the participants seek seats in educational institutions or jobs in government institutions, it would verify and ratify their applications, making them eligible to get them under sports quota. The associations also must follow the National Sports Code.

But, several associations are being formed at district and state levels for various sports and games and they are informing their national bodies and conducting events by collecting donations in lakhs. They are attracting the players to participate in their events with no permission from any authority of the sports bodies, including SAAP. This is resulting in heartburns to the players as and when they fail to get seats under sports quota.

A woman who took part in the national championship in Jhansi failed to get the seat under sports quota as she represented the AP Hockey, which is not having recognition from SAAP.

The lure of raising funds in the name of conducting sports and games events and taking up selection of players have gone to an extent where the police had to intervene to restore normalcy. Recently, when two groups of hockey associations called for senior hockey selections at Madanapalle in Annamayya district, there was an exchange of arguments  as one association wanted to conduct selections while another one opposed it.

A former hockey player who participated in the national events, Md. Moinuddin Ahmed, said, “We want only SAAP-recognised associations to be permitted to organise sports and games events officially, so that the players who participated in them will get ratification from SAAP to get seats or jobs under the sports quota.”

“There is also a need to curb unauthorised associations duping the players and their parents by conducting events to raise funds,” he added.

A government chief coach said, “Though SAAP has come up with a GO-272 to curb all irregularities, players should be cautious while taking part in sports events to find out whether they got recognition from SAAP and other statutory bodies. If so, they can avail the sports quota for education and employment.”