Days after Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant announced the renaming of the Peddem Sports Complex after hockey player and Olympian Major Dhyan Chand, citizens have demanded to rename the Stadium after Goan hockey legend Leo Pinto.
Citizens said that Pinto is a Goan who was India’s goalkeeper in the 1948 Olympics, where he was part of the team that won gold for the country. He was one of the few goalkeepers to score a goal.
Agreed, naming sports venues after sportspersons is a great initiative, but why should Goan sportspersons be left behind?
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
The Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, following the footsteps of his boss – Prime Ministre Narendra Modi, has named two stadiums after national sports icons.
While the Peddem Hockey turf would be named after Major Dhyanchand, Sawant also announced the athletic stadium at Bambolim after the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh.
Days after Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant announced the renaming of the Peddem Sports Complex after hockey player and Olympian Major Dhyan Chand, citizens have demanded to rename the Stadium after Goan hockey legend Leo Pinto.
Citizens said that Pinto is a Goan who was India’s goalkeeper in the 1948 Olympics, where he was part of the team that won gold for the country. He was one of the few goalkeepers to score a goal.
Agreed, naming sports venues after sportspersons is a great initiative, but why should Goan sportspersons be left behind?
Goa has a rich sporting heritage and is a powerhouse of sports in the country. Our legends must be not forgotten and are immortalized so that they can inspire future generations of Goenkars.
Goans are famous for their sporting capabilities, and it is time that the State immortalizes heroes in our State. This can serve as a massive inspiration for Goans in generations to come.
Hence, we must remember our legends like Leo Pinto, who hailed from Mapusa. It’s time Chief Minister gives due recognition to our Goan sporting icons. They are the icons for our next generation.
For example, in football itself, we have two Arjuna Awardees – Brahmanand Shankwalkar and Bruno Coutinho. Why not name stadiums after them? Not just this, too, Goa has produced several players who need recognition.
Yes, the government gave the duo five lakhs each for bagging the prestigious Arjuna awards and government jobs, but this has failed to inspire the next generation.
Becoming a better sportsperson often requires some inspiration and a little guidance.
Goa has to cash on the rising popularity of sports across the country, and just naming the stadiums after sportspersons will not suffice.
This is the time to formulate a new Sports policy, give incentives to the sportspersons, give them job security, good nutrition.
With the current sports policy, the benefits go only to the high and mighty.
Recently, the State government had financed Rs 25 lakhs to a mountaineer whose parents were closed to a politician and a top sports department official relative.
The incentives and finance should not be selective. Most of the talented sportspersons come from a poor background and need government backing, which does not seem to be the case in Goa, and hence we lag behind in many sports.
