All's not well at Wrestling Academy

By our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 26: All is not well with the Sports Authority of Assam (SAA). The recent activities of the SAA have irked State sports organizers. Now young athletes have been facing problems because of SAA’s unprofessiol attitude.

Some young trainees of the Assam Wrestling Academy, a mega project of the SAA, today demonstrated near Super Market, Dispur for, what they said, the irresponsible attitude of the SAA. The young wrestlers also alleged that a process is on to shut down the academy that was launched just two months back at Rajib Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Amingaon with a budget of Rs 98 lakh.

It was alleged that after repeated communications the officials of the SAA failed to inform them when the academy would restart after Bihu vacation. As per schedule, the academy was supposed to start from April 20 but it did not happen. So, some of the trainees who have already arrived in the city had to face a lot of problems to arrange their accommodation. A few officials even not bothered to attend their call, some of them said.

There is also a doubt among the trainees whether the academy will at all start once again or not. “Earlier, we were told that it would be a residential academy and our admission would be done in local schools. So we hadn’t take admission in our previous school. But now we are advised to take admission in our earlier school. What does it mean? Who has given the right to the officials of the SAA to play with our future?” said a young wrestler of the academy.

The trainees today also made it clear that if they were not provided all facilities that were announced earlier, or the academy is shut down then the SAA should have to give enough compensation to them as they had to loss an academic year.

When contacted an official of the SAA refused to say too much on this episode. He just said,“ The incident happened because of lack of communication.”