By Saraju Chakraborty, President, TSJC
AGARTALA: As the largest democracy in the world, India waged a grim battle to control Coronavirus, the celebration of the World Sports Journalists Day was a muted affair throughout the country. The only exception was the tiny Northeastern state of Tripura.
There were many programme conducted by small groups and individuals in their respective places due to restrictions like social distancing and other stern measures. However, sports journalists gathered in Agartala, the capital of Tripura state, on July 2, and put up a brief but an important programme of felicitating the sporting stars of the state for their contribution to sport.
Heading the list was Dipa Karmakar, who stood fourth at the Rio Olympics in gymnastics and her coach Bisweshwar Nandi.
Felicitations were extended to ten eminent sports personalities, including the Minister of State for Sports, Sports Director and Secretary of the Sports Council. Tripura Sports Journalists’ Club (TSJC) President, Saraju Chakraborty, Secretary Suprabhat Debnath, Assistant Secretary Anirban Deb, Executive Committee Member Biplab Chanda visited the homes of eminent sports personalities and congratulated them by garlanding them and presenting mementos.
Sports Minister Manoj Kanti Deb, Sports Director Sharadindu Chowdhury, Sports Council Secretary Amit Rakshit, Dronacharya Coach Bisweshwar Nandi, Olympian Gymnast Padmashree Dipa Karmakar, International Chess player Arshiya Das, International Gymnast Priyanka Dasgupta, National Gymnast Asmita Paul, International kick-boxer Mukta Debnath, India’s best yoga player Puja Saha and sports club Agiye Chalo Sangha were the recipients of TSJC’s love and affection.
The club also distributed face masks, sanitizers and health cards to all its members, including financial donation, to the families of four sportspersons and former Secretary of the TSJC, late Biswajit Sharma.
Ashis Sinha reports from Ranchi: In the state of Jharkhand in Eastern India, a webinar brought experts together to talk on sports. An initiative of the Indian Pierre De Coubertin Association (IPCA), a nodal national entity with international recognition assigned for the dissemination of Olympic Education & Olympism into the grassroots of Indian Sports, the first International Webinar was held on World Sports Journalist Day, on July 2.
“Sports play a vital role in making children strong from inside while inculcating the importance of maintaining a fit and sound body. It helps in the development of focus and concentration, in-turn assists during studies,” said an expert.
Chief Guest Ms. Elvira Ramini, Secretary-General of International Pierre De Coubertin Committee (CIPC), a unit of apex International Olympic Committee (IOC) said, there is a “very symbiotic relationship” between the media and sports. In modern society, sport and media seek inseparably a relationship where both exercise endless and continuous influence.
Media generates profit through sports while sports and its contents are transmitted through media. It is clear sports and media is developing in and expanding through this symbiotic relationship, she said.
Ms. Elvira witnessed the entire event passionately. She emphasised the importance of Olympic Education in modern sports and also praised the works being performed by the Indian unit of IPCA.
The Special Guest Mr. S. Sabanayakan, from the Asian Sports Press Association’s (AIPS-Asia) vice-president, detailed the role of sports journalism towards the promotion of sports and minutely elaborated the duties and responsibilities of a sports journalist. He said it is an area of numerous opportunities for the young generation and wished that more youth will opt for sports journalism in near future. He traced the history of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and signified the roles of its continental arms in supporting the larger interest of the world body.
The first women hockey Olympian from Jharkhand, Nikky Pradhan and International athlete Sapna Kumari shared their experience and shared their feelings towards sports journalists.
The event was attended to by IPCA board members comprising its Secretary-General Ms. Sarojini Lakra, Executive Board members Shivendra Nath Dubey, Gyan Singh and Jaideep Sarkar, among others.
The programme was commendably conducted by Dr Umakant Singh, Ms. Rajshree Prasad and Ms. Norzom Bhutia.
