The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : A disappointing decision to cancel SZ meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Table Tennis

A disappointing decision to cancel SZ meet

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The cancellation of the South Zone table tennis championship, a major fixture of the Table Tennis Federation of India calendar, has come as a major disappointment to both the players and fans.

The Karnataka Table Tennis Association, which had offered to host the event here from December 16 to 20, has been receiving mixed reactions for its decision to scrap the event for “security reasons.”

For an association, which has been trying to revive its sagging image, the cancellation has come at the wrong time and the detractors wasted no time in questioning the “hasty decision.”

Wrong signals

“It was a question of our prestige and we have never backed out of our commitment like this and it certainly sends wrong signals about our capability,” said a former official on conditions of anonymity. The decision to shelve the event came even as the organisers were in the process of sending entry forms to other State Associations. Was fund crunch a major issue? The event was supposed to cost the organisers around Rs. 8 to 10 lakh.

C.V.L. Sastry, president of the ad-hoc committee, which is managing the affairs of the KTTA denied that. “Funds have never been a problem and we were well equipped to conduct the championship and had made all arrangements, but when the State Government decided to cancel all public functions including the Bengaluru Habba on security grounds, following the terror attack in Mumbai, we had to fall in line. I was personally concerned about the safety of players. It was unfortunate that we had to take such a decision, but we will definitely look for alternate dates,” said Mr. Sastry.

But looking for alternate dates at this stage would be a futile exercise as the season is well over and only the senior Nationals remain and there is no point in conducting the event after the senior Nationals, and the turnout would be very poor, considering the fact that points are not going to matter at all.

The a-hoc committee also comprised several former players, who had tirelessly worked to raise funds for the championship. Echoing Sastry’s views, the former National doubles champion G.K. Vishwanath, said, “Funds were not an issue and we had firm commitments from BSNL, Edurite Ltd., LIC and Syndicate Bank and we, former players, also were in the process of raising enough funds and we could have done it , but the president had his genuine concerns about the security factor.”

Makes no sense

He conceded the fact that it makes no sense to conduct the event after the Nationals. “Possibly we can look at the option of doing it in May-June, 2009 and make it a first National ranking tournament of the year,” said Vishwanath. He and other former State stars, Bona Thomas John, Vasanth Kumar and Vasanth Bhardwaj, are determined that the South Zone championship is conducted in Bangalore in 2009 and they believe that it will kick-start the KTTA activities.

The factional feud in the past had taken a heavy toll on the association and the State now has no player of National stature and very few tournaments and that is a sad reflection on Karnataka, which had produced stalwarts like Sai Kumar, Arun Kumar, Kabad Jayanth, Usha Sunderraj, Lakshmi Karanth and Archana Vishwanath.

The wranglings in the association led TTFI to name an ad-hoc body, but the ad-hoc committee itself had completed one year now and it is yet to initiate steps to amend bylaws and set the stage for the AGM and fresh elections.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport