After 16 yrs, Goa to have new Sports Policy by year end: Ajay Gaude

Panaji: Ajay Gaude, the newly-appointed executive director of the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG), has assured stakeholders that a new Sports Policy will be in force latest by the end of this year.Goa currently has a State Sports Policy which was approved in 2009.Since taking over as the director, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs last month, and as SAG ED, Gaude has made the sports policy his top priority.“We will take components of the National Sports Policy and on that basis prepare our own to suit the state’s requirements,” Gaude told reporters after taking charge on Monday. "The State Sports Policy is from 2009 and in the last 16 years, so much has changed with the rules, regulations.

We need to take all that into consideration. We will consult stakeholders like associations, experts, journalists and come up with a new policy.

Before December end, the state will have its own policy.”In 2009, the state govt defined a specific State Sports Policy and implemented it "to identify, define and merge the roles of different agencies engaged in the promotion and furtherance of the cause of sports in the state, within the overall framework of the National Sports Policy of 2001.”

The National Sports Policy of 2001 has now become irrelevant with the implementation of National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, a landmark initiative aimed at reshaping the country’s sporting landscape and empowering citizens through sports.The new policy lays out a strategic roadmap to establish India as a global sporting powerhouse and a strong contender for excellence at international sporting events, including the 2036 Olympic Games.“The Prime Minister has a vision to promote sports. In Goa, chief minister Pramod Sawant and our sports minister (Ramesh Tawadkar) are keen to take sports to the next level,” said Gaude.