There are growing concerns among the sports fraternity that the Dasara Sports have been reduced to a mere formality devoid of any seriousness and lack in quality due to inadequate preparations.
This came to the fore at the taluk-level qualifying games on September 16 that drew feeble response. The reason: lack of adequate publicity and information about the events.
C.K. Muralidharan, a veteran sports journalist covering the events, said the response was so feeble that organisers could not find enough participants from other taluks and asked athletes from Mysuru to represent other taluks. Athletes from the rural hinterland were deprived of the opportunity to participate owing to inadequate publicity as a result of which taluk-level officers failed to field teams. The winners were eligible to take part in the district-level games in Mysuru on September 18 and 19 and it was the same scenario here too.
According to participants who wished to remain anonymous, there was very little participation at the district-level games as well and there were at least a few events where in hardly two or three athletes took part and only one athlete from each event earned qualification to represent the district-level meet. Notwithstanding the claims of the organisers that they expect nearly 4,500 participants during the forthcoming Dasara Games to be held from October 1 to 4, there are concerns that the standards will be low as the number of participants who have qualified will be less.
Mr. Muralidharan said the purpose of conducting the games at the taluk, district and divisional levels was to ensure that rural talent gets a platform. But the purpose is lost when conducted casually, he added.
