Deepankar Sharda Tribune News Service Chandigarh April 26 The sudden rise in Covid-19 cases has once again affected the UT Sports Departments plans of restarting annual championships and opening of the state-run academies. Last month after a gap of almost one-year the department had planned to reopen the state-run football hockey and cricket academies. It had also decided to announce the annual sports calendar. All the necessary permissions were taken and a formal announcement was to be made before starting the age-group championships. However the second wave of Covid-19 has forced the department to shelve all their plans. “We had planned the annual sports calendar for the current session. All necessary permissions had been taken and we were planning to conduct championships. However considering the current situation we have to postpone all our plans. We have to wait and remain extra cautious” said Sports Director Tejdeep Singh Saini. “Same is the situation with the state-run academies. They cant be thrown open for trainees amid the ongoing crisis” said Saini. The department is one of the first in the region to open sports complexes for the benefit of players. Trainees regularly practice at different complexes — a step which is being appreciated by other states also. “The trainees have to prepare for their competitions scheduled at national and international level. The registered players are being trained by our coaches following all protocols. As of now there are no plans to shut these complexes as we have only limited number of trainees. We have opened complexes just for professional and competitive sportspersons” Saini informed. Besides conducting annual age-group and other sports championships the UT Sports Department had recently came up with cash-prize competitions. In the last session the Sports Department did not organise summer camps for local trainees and this happened for the first time in the past two decades. Every year the department runs a minimum 15-day programme — sports-wing — wherein selected players get diet and training under professional coaches. High-altitude training camps for the state-run academies which usually take place at the Sports Authority of Indias centre in Shillaroo Himachal Pradesh were also cancelled and the summer tournaments were put on hold. “The department is looking after its players under a well-planned structure. Hope this crisis will get over soon and players get a chance to perform” said a coach.

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