GOA unveils plans to establish Olympic Bhavan

Panaji: The Goa Olympic Association plans to establish a dedicated Olympic Bhavan in the state, Union minister and GOA president Shripad Naik announced during the annual meeting in the city on Friday.The Olympic Bhavan is envisioned as a centralised hub equipped with modern infrastructure to house the operations of GOA and serve as the administrative and developmental nucleus for all state sports associations, strengthening Goa's position as an emerging sports powerhouse.The association also honoured Goan medal winners from the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand by awarding them prize money cheques, reinforcing its commitment to athlete recognition and support.The meeting also focused on policy matters, including a circular issued by the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) on selection guidelines and association functioning. Member associations expressed their concern that the generalised guidelines were impractical, given the diverse nature of individual sports, and resolved to submit a joint response to SAG through GOA, as well as individual responses.The gathering also featured a 20-minute awareness session on the National Sports Court 2024 (Governor’s Bill) by Jovito Lopes. Additionally, Goans Hockey president Farrell Furtado raised an important issue about the imposition of fees on state hockey camps. President Naik said that he would take up the matter with the govt to ensure that stadium fees are waived off for official pre-national or zonal camps to train state teams.