Sports secretary holds coordination meeting with coaches

GANGTOK, (IPR): Yogeeta Rai, PCA-cum-secretary, Sports & Youth Affairs department, chaired a coordination meeting with the coaches belonging to various sports disciplines here today. The coordination meeting was conducted under the aegis of 'Sunaulo Sikkim, Samriddh Sikkim.'

The event organized by the Sports & Youth Affairs department will span from 2024 to 2025 to celebrate the 50th year of the Statehood of Sikkim. The objective is to commemorate this celebration through participation in sports.

Present in the meeting were Sports & Youth Affairs additional director RB Bishwakarma, joint director Jigmee Y. Lepcha, deputy director Sonam Lepcha, Dronacharya Awardee (2021) Sandhya Gurung, and other officers from the department. Coaches from various sports disciplines under the S&YA department were also present.

Yogeeta Rai extended congratulations to the coaches who brought laurels to the State through the performance of their students in various disciplines.

The secretary called the coaches the ‘Powerhouse of the Sports department’ because they produce future sportspeople for the State.

In her special mention, she lauded the achievements of Sandhya Gurung, who won the Dronacharya Award for Sikkim.

Citing the recent success of the State in sporting events, the secretary hoped that the efforts of coaches would continue to show progress. She assured that no stone would be left unturned by the government in extending support to them in the future. In her concluding remarks, she thanked the coaches for being present for this important coordination meeting.

During the course of the meeting, the progress report of coaches for the years 2022–2024 was apprised to everyone present on the day. The names of the coaches whose students achieved medals at the state and national levels were declared at length.

An interactive session between the secretary and the coaches also took place, wherein the coaches shared their grievances with the secretary and put forward their suggestions.

The discussion revolved around the extension of sporting infrastructure, the initiation of a dedicated sporting academy for the state, the hygienic condition of sporting infrastructure, the addition of staff in sports academy, where needed, and the minimum required qualification of coaches.

The secretary, after listening to the grievances, thanked the coaches for their valuable suggestions and assured them that their grievances would be placed before the concerned authority.

The meeting also included the felicitation of recently promoted coaches.