Borrowed players shine for Jharkhand

RANCHI - Hosts Jharkhand won 96 medals including 33 gold for a respectable fifth place in the 34th National Games medals tally, but most of the medals were won by players ‘borrowed’ from other states.

Jharkhand won 33 gold, 26 silver and 37 bronze medals. Athletes who belonged to other states but represented Jharkhand won 55 of these medals.

Jharkhand’s own achievement comes mainly from lawn bowls in which it won four gold and two silver medals. The home grown athletes also excelled in boxing where Aruna Mishra, Mitchel Lakra and Lakshmi Padiya added three of the total seven gold medals the state won.

The Jharkhand government had instructed various sporting associations to promote players from the state. But the advice was overlooked except in badminton and lawn bowls.

The medals tally of the state would have swelled had star swimmer Richa Mishra, who won 16 medals including 11 gold, represented Jharkhand. The Delhi girl was supposed to represent the hosts, but the Jharkhand Swimming Association denied her permission.

It raised a few eyebrows as to why Richa was not allowed to represent Jharkhand when there were so many athletes who found their way through and won medals for the state.

Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) General secretary S.M. Hashmi said it was for the respective federations to take a call.

“JOA had no say in the matter. It was entirely up to the various associations to select the players,” he said.