HOA charges Govt with denying grants to sports association

Kurukshetra, Mar 30 (UNI) Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) president Abhay Chautala has criticised the state government "for bringing the sports activities in the state to an almost halt by withholding grants to the sports associations for the last three years".

Talking to mediapersons at Shahabad, about 25 kms from here last evening, Mr Chautala said "Not even a penny has been given to any of the dozen sports associations in the state ever since the Hooda Government came into power." "Even the internationally renowned women hockey nursery of Shahabad, which has produced more than a dozen women hockey stars, is leading to gradual extinction as the budding women players are starving due to paucity of funds." He alleged that "Even the field officers like deputy commissioners and the sub division officers in the state have been instructed not to allow sports activities and functions in the sports grounds, arenas and stadiums to be organised by the district branches of the Haryana Olympic Association." UNI XC PS BP