CHENNAI:Sports is a young man’s activity. Or a young woman’s. Those greying and past their prime in terms of fitness are not supposed to be on the field, or court, for that matter. That’s when they should be doing other jobs, like coaching. Anything, but not playing. The 18th All India BSNL volleyball tournament presented a picture contrary to the notion.
In the final between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Thursday, of the 20 players 13 were aged above 40. The oldest was 52. Reason? Like most other PSUs, BSNL has also stopped recruiting on sports quotas. The last time they did that was in 2007. So those employed then or even further back are still turning up for their departmental teams.
“Previously, a lot of work was done manually. We needed more manpower. These days, things have been digitalised. Consequently, the number of recruitment has come down,” said CP Sridhar, joint secretary of the BSNL Sports Board.
Taking part in these competitions, however, remains compulsory for the employees brought in through sports quotas. The body may complain, mind may not support. They have to carry on. “It’s mandatory for us to play the tournaments. Performance in these plays a role in promotions. Evaluation takes place at least once every year,” said a player.
Participation in these events has come down over the years. Previously, 18 circles vied for top honours in the national event. This number has reduced to eight and the tournament gets over in three days. “Five or six years ago, there were more number of circles and the tournament was held over six days. Teams withdrew as players kept getting older,” said Karnataka manager Ashok BV.
Only a handful of PSUs like BPCL, Kochi Refinery, ONGC still recruit volleyball players under the sports quota. “According to an amended policy of the government, there should be 2 per cent sports quota recruitment in all PSUs. But most of them have stopped doing it. In the banking sector, there is no recruitment of volleyball players since 1994. Many oil and gas companies have stopped selecting players under sports quota,” said Volleyball Federation of India secretary Ramavtar Singh Jakhar. He himself plays for State Bank of India despite being 48.
nithin.k@newindianexpress.com
Final: Karnataka bt Tamil Nadu 25-16, 25-18, 25-10; Third place: Himachal Pradesh bt Uttarakhand 25-14, 25-19, 25-20.