Divya Sharma Amritsar, July 13 Despite winning the prestigious Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy for 22 times since its inception, Guru Nanak Dev University has not been able to lift the Trophy in the past six years. The university authorities feel that there is an urgent need to promote the sports culture at the grassroots level, along with changes in the criteria of evaluating the performance of universities, to bag the coveted trophy again. The MAKA Trophy was introduced by the Government of India in year 1956-57. It is awarded on the basis of universities’ performance in the inter-university tournaments organised under the Associations of Indian Universities. Performance in international sports events and events recognised by the Sports Ministry is also considered. The university that gains the maximum number of points from the tournaments lifts the trophy. Punjabi University, Patiala, has been winning the trophy for the past five years. When asked about the reasons behind the sudden fall in the performance, Dr KS Dhillon, Assistant Director Sports, Guru Nanak Dev University, said, “Our performance has not gone down. We are still giving our best. Over the years, there have been changes in the criteria for choosing the winner. There are certain amendments that need to be carried in the criteria laid by the higher authorities. For instance, there are certain games which have no practical relevance but they provide specific points.” “Games which are a part of the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and Asian Games must be promoted in the inter-university competitions,” he added.

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