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Farmers have come forward to support the Goa government in organising rowing events in the 37th edition of the National Games. The Chapora river, which is 20 km away from Goa, will host the competition.
Goa is known for its water bodies, but the state never prioritised forming a proper infrastructure for rowing. The National Games organisers were aware of the challenges that they were about to face in hosting the rowing events.
The farmers, in the meantime, have lent helping hands to the Goa government despite their daily hustle in the ongoing harvesting season.
Organisers delighted with farmers coming forward to their support
The Goa government was delighted to have the farmers step up and offer support to help them get the venue ready for the rowing competition at the National Games. The Director of Competition Ismail Baig was quoted as saying:
“The course is quite good. The tide does affect the flow of water but it is manageable. But the real challenge was to make a place for boats to be kept, build technical officials’ area and other facilities as the river is surrounded by privately owned farms.”
With less than two weeks left for the rowing events to get underway, the farmers and organisers are fighting against time to get the venue ready.
23 farmers helped the organisers by giving away 30,000 square metres of land where a road, till the river bank, is likely to be built.
“Every new venue has its own challenges. But here, we had to work on war footing for the last 10 days to get the land levelled, build temporary infrastructure while ensuring that there is no long-term damage to the soil as the farmer will have to start cultivation soon after,” Baig stated.
Govind Gaude, the sports minister of Goa, was delighted with the spirit of the farmers in helping out the organisers.
“The overwhelming support from the farmers shows how much these Games mean to the Goans. We are grateful to them for their support,” he added.
