Argha Bhattacharya
The future of Taekwondo in Orissa looked bleak when Santosh Mohanty, secretary of Orissa State Taekwondo Association was suspended by the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI) for supporting a parallel body, but thanks to the national body’s initiative of setting up an ad-hoc technical committee for the state, this particular form of martial arts is up and running again.
The 30th State Taekwondo Championships concluded recently at the Utkal Karate School in Bhubaneswar and the zeal among the participants was a proof that the sport is here to stay. Four hundred and fifty two contestants from 13 districts came together to exhibit their skills.
Orissa haven’t done anything noteworthy at the national level taekwondo competitions in recent years and the last medal in the nationals came in 1991… that’s 24 years back and as long as Sachin Tendulkar’s cricket career. But, Byomokesh A Prasad, convener of the ad-hoc committee and national level referee stated that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“Earlier teams from Orissa used to participate in the nationals, just for the sake of it but now as this committee comprises people who are accustomed with the technicalities of the sport, it is guaranteed that only quality players will be given a chance to represent the state. Twenty boys and the same number of girls will be selected for the Cadet Nationals to be played next month at Rohtak,” informed Byomokesh.
All throughout the two days of the competition, Utkal Karate School’s fighting arena took the proportion of a huge circus with the battalions of each district egging on the participants, the parents keeping a close watch on their wards and the coaches shouting instructions from the sidelines. The young souls fought their heart out, some fell, some got hurt but all of them were up in the blink of an eye.
While Bhadrak, Puri and Berhampur districts dominated the proceedings, Sundargarh grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Puri’s Shiva Naik who snatched gold in the u-45 kg senior category, stated that he nurtures aspirations to represent India. “I chose this sport because it is globally recognised and I am sure, someday I can participate in the Olympics,” said a confident looking Naik. On the other hand Samarjit Chakra of Bhadrak who won gold in u-41 kg cadet segment has set his sights on winning a yellow metal at the nationals.
Chhitamani Tudu, who has already represented the state in the nationals earlier, said that she is a better player now after solving her technical glitches. “The respect which I get when I represent Orissa is a huge boost and I want to continue this way. Participating in competitions like these helps me improve my standard,” said an exhausted Tudu after her match.
Hari Patnaik, founder of Utkal Karate School and the co-convenor of the ad-hoc committee felt that the taekwondo players of the state can only benefit by playing in the competitions recognised by TFI. “As TFI has given this committee the right to host state level tournaments, all Orissa players should participate in events recognised by this body. Then they will be eligible to represent the state,” said Patnaik.
The facilities at the Utkal Karate School were also given a ‘thumbs up’ by TFI’s observer, Aryan Jaiswal. “I have been coming for the state championships for the last few years but this year’s arrangement is the best infrastructure wise and the competition is very well organised,” said a sauve-looking Jaiswal.
At the end of the day Taekwondo aspirants of the state can breathe a sigh of relief as the sport is in safe hands and it is not going to fade away from the state. The fight is well and truly on.