After several of its notices to Budhia Singh went unanswered, the Odisha government on Friday said it would wait for the prodigious runner to return to the Bhubaneswar Sports Hostel and chase his dreams. Budhia, now 14, has not returned to the hostel even though summer vacation ended a month ago.
High-level meet A high-level meeting chaired by State Sports Secretary Saswat Mishra was held on Friday to discuss Budhia’s long absence.
“Budhia has remained absent from the sports hostel for a long period. We have sent notices in his name. Authorities have also contacted his uncle and elder sister. Coaches have been told that he would return soon,” Mr. Mishra said.
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“If he is not interested to stay in the hostel, we cannot force him to do so. Once he comes to Bhubaneswar, we will discuss with him. A final decision will be taken after discussions with Budhia and his family members,” said the sports secretary.
Leave application Budhia has also submitted leave application at the DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur, stating that he would be back on July 28.
Recently, Budhia had showed reluctance in staying at the hostel, saying he was not being allowed to train for marathon races.
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His coaches, however, were of the opinion that he needed a few more years of formal training before undertaking long-distance running. Budhia in the past had also complained that the hostel environment made him feel “suffocated”.