Sportspersons Welfare Forum will present the issues of athletes before Government: Dr Kanishka Pandey

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Issues of discontent that keep arising between sportspersons and various associations can be effectively resolved through better coordination.

With this thought process, a seminar was organised in Ghaziabad which was attended by numerous sports experts. The event saw the formal announcement of a Sportspersons Welfare Forum.

Players have been demanding a forum on these lines which can serve as an instrument to effectively put forth their issues before the Government, sports associations and sports departments.

The Forum is being set up on a pilot basis in Ghaziabad. The learnings from this will be replicated across the state and perhaps the nation.

Sports researcher and chairman of the NGO Sports: 'A Way of Life', Dr Kanishka Pandey, said, "A sportsperson faces numerous challenges in his career. On many occasions, they are not even aware of who to meet, who to connect with and how to get their issue solved. Not being able to meet senior officials, lack of sponsorships and counselling are some of the issues plaguing sportspersons today."

"The Forum will present the issues of a sportsperson before the Government and work on finding an effective solution through better coordination. Our Prime Minister's vision is to promote sports culture in India. There are two aspects of sports culture, first to increase participation of children in sports and second to ensure that those who are playing today, do not quit.

"This can be achieved by setting up a system in place which builds confidence in parents that their child is playing in a safe environment, nothing untoward will happen and if their ward faces any issues, then there is a system in place to resolve and overcome such issues. Lot is already being done, but there are gaps and our objective is to fill these gaps," he emphasised.

The event was also attended by Arjuna awardees Ashok Dhyanchand, Rachana Govil and several other sports experts.