Tag Archives: Kudige Sports School

Uproar over selection of Kodagu athletes

Madikeri :

The decision to cancel the exclusive selection process for Kodagu athletes for state-level teams has irked sports persons in the Kodagu district. As many as 18 students, including three girls, selected at the district-level selection process have been removed.

Kodagu district has players at the state and national level and they have also participated in the Olympics events. An exclusive selection of Kodagu students has been going on for the past 23 years in Ponnampet. 

Arun Machaiah, a former MLC, accused senior officials behind the decision to cancel the selection.

A state-level sports school is being run at Kudige and the athletes to play at the state level are selected from there. 

While the national-level sports persons are selected from Sai Sports Residential School, Madikeri.

Machaiah said when the selection processes for national and state-level events come together the opportunities for the athletes of Kodagu are likely to decrease. 

Zilla panchayat had taken resolution for an exclusive selection of Kodagu students for state teams in Ponnampet School. It was approved by the Karnataka government in 2001.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Mysuru News / by G Rajendra / May 28th, 2023

Hockey Alone Cannot Feed – S. Prema ( Karnataka State Women’s Hockey Captain )

BANGALORE:

National championships and awards count for nothing for the hapless S Prema. The Karnataka women’s hockey captain is another among hundreds in the sporting fraternity which pursue sports in all earnestness without just rewards.

Only that in her case, she has nowhere to turn to: neither does she have a job nor are her parents financially strong enough to take care of her needs.

Daughter of daily wage earners who work in a coffee plantation in Siddapura, Kodagu, Prema, 20, has seen hardship from close quarters. She has seen her parents do the odd jobs for a mere Rs 100 per day. She has seen the income increase marginally over the years but hardly substantially enough to turn their fortunes around.

Two less than square meals a day was the norm ever since she was born but was made possible only when Prema’s parents made a concerted effort throughout the day.

There were periods when her father was indisposed, especially during rainy days, forcing her mother to brave heavy rain and work through the day. But then their dream, as Prema says, was to see her shine as a hockey player.

“Ever since I took up the game when I was in eighth standard and joined the Kudige sports school, I was forced to depend on my parents to buy equipment or for travel and tournaments. They never said no to me. They would borrow money to ensure I got the best. It was heart-rending to see them struggle thereafter to pay back the money,” said Prema, who now trains at the State sports hostel in Mysore.

“In the past couple of years I stopped asking them money. We are being well taken care of by Sports Hostel,” said the full back, a final year BA student at Teresian college.

What has dismayed Prema is that the game hasn’t been as productive as she thought it would be. “I have played in the National championship before. We won the South Zone tournament this year in Tirupati and I am leading the side again in Bangalore. I only hope I get a job so that I can take care of my parents.”

Penpix

  • S Prema
  • Age 20
  • Hails from: Siddapura, Kodagu
  • Trains at: Sports Hostel, Mysore
  • Coaches: Devanand, Vijayakrishna
  • Parents: Daily wage earners

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Apr 06th, 2011