Mangaluru: In great disappointment for sports people, Mangalore University, after receiving instructions from Dakshina Kannada district administration, has temporarily canceled all sports fixtures scheduled in its jurisdiction.
The decision was taken in a meeting with heads of educational institutions on Monday, chaired by Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra.
Mangalore University has colleges in Kodagu, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. All sporting events, both inter-collegiate and inter-university competitions, will be canceled from this week. A major upcoming event was the planned varsity cross-country race at Alva’s College in Moodbidri, which is also cancelled.
Kishore Kumar CK, Registrar, University of Mangalore said the sporting events only started in December and had to be stopped a month later. “So far, we have organized major events like the 81st Indian Athletics Championship for Men-2022 which was recently held in Moodbidri and the South Zone Women’s Varsity Hockey Tournament which was held in Kodagu in December. “The district administration has informed us that the sports fixtures should be canceled as there is a possibility of crowds during the events,” Kishore said.
Although events are temporarily suspended, there are no restrictions for practice on the college grounds.
However, the decision was criticized by athletes, who were looking forward to the sports season. “There are not many events organized anywhere in the country, since the start of the pandemic. We were happy that at least this time there could be a breakthrough, since everyone was vaccinated and back in shape. The restrictions have once again ruined our preparations and our careers,” said an aspiring athlete.
Expressing his displeasure, Mr. Mohan Alva, Chairman of Alva’s Education Foundation, said the cancellation had inconvenienced student-athletes, who were eagerly preparing for the upcoming sporting fixtures to be held across the country. “We must cancel all tickets and reservations made to send our students to other universities out of state. In addition, the cancellation of sporting fixtures will also affect their careers, as without being able to participate in sporting events, they will not be able to win medals,” Alva said.
The decision was taken in a meeting with heads of educational institutions on Monday, chaired by Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra.
Mangalore University has colleges in Kodagu, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. All sporting events, both inter-collegiate and inter-university competitions, will be canceled from this week. A major upcoming event was the planned varsity cross-country race at Alva’s College in Moodbidri, which is also cancelled.
Kishore Kumar CK, Registrar, University of Mangalore said the sporting events only started in December and had to be stopped a month later. “So far, we have organized major events like the 81st Indian Athletics Championship for Men-2022 which was recently held in Moodbidri and the South Zone Women’s Varsity Hockey Tournament which was held in Kodagu in December. “The district administration has informed us that the sports fixtures should be canceled as there is a possibility of crowds during the events,” Kishore said.
Although events are temporarily suspended, there are no restrictions for practice on the college grounds.
However, the decision was criticized by athletes, who were looking forward to the sports season. “There are not many events organized anywhere in the country, since the start of the pandemic. We were happy that at least this time there could be a breakthrough, since everyone was vaccinated and back in shape. The restrictions have once again ruined our preparations and our careers,” said an aspiring athlete.
Expressing his displeasure, Mr. Mohan Alva, Chairman of Alva’s Education Foundation, said the cancellation had inconvenienced student-athletes, who were eagerly preparing for the upcoming sporting fixtures to be held across the country. “We must cancel all tickets and reservations made to send our students to other universities out of state. In addition, the cancellation of sporting fixtures will also affect their careers, as without being able to participate in sporting events, they will not be able to win medals,” Alva said.