KOZHIKODE: 'Are you a young girl aspiring to become internationally-acclaimed volleyball player? You just need to be in the 13-16 age group and taller than 171 cm and have an interest in the game. We will take care of the rest'. Thus goes the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) campaign for its 'Height Hunt 2018' programme aimed at grooming talents at a young age. It is these catchy words that attracted Class IX student Gayathri (name changed) from Kozhikode and dozens of other girls to jump on the bandwagon.
The 'Height Hunt programme', which was launched a few years ago, became a hit after three girls from the first batch represented India at the Asian Under-18 Championships. SAI provides the selected girls free accommodation, food and training kits besides education and healthcare facilities.
According to Gayathri's father, she was part of the 10-member group that qualified in the trials held across the state. The selected girls were asked to report at the SAI's Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE) in Thiruvananthapuram for a week-long camp in April. After it came to an end, the girls were sent home with the promise that they would soon be intimated about the future course of action.
"After a couple of months of anxious wait and no contact from the SAI, we got in touch with its Thiruvananthapuram centre. We were told none of the selected children would be called for training. The officers said as per instructions from Delhi, another batch of students from outside the state would come for training," said Gayathri's parent.
Most of the children were heartbroken as they had high hopes of receiving top-class training and going on to represent the country, said the parent.
When contacted, a senior SAI officer told Express the selection of children was dependent on the existing vacancies. "At present, five girls who emerged on top have been inducted for further training as our allotted quota is only five this year," said the officer. However, no official document regarding their induction was made available for verification.
He added those selected under the Height Hunt would also qualify for training in other disciplines in which height is a crucial factor. "In case a vacancy turns up in another centre, the students already shortlisted would be considered," he said.