On course of success

In the just concluded All India police water sports meet, BSF Bagged over all championship:

P.S. Chauhan

The 10th All India Police Water Sports Championship held on the Ganga canal near Roorkee, last week. After the creation of the state the Ganga Canal at Solanipuram, near Roorkee, with slow flow of water and calm environment, has developed into a preferred destination for water sports. The Bengal Engineering Group (BEG) and Centre Roorkee has contributed much to the development of the spot as a water sports destination. The All India Police Water Sports Championship was also held here in 2005. It is for the second time that the event has been organized here. The organizing secretary of the five-day event & DIG, PAC, Alok Sharma said that about 500 sports persons from 17 teams of the central para military forces and the police personnel from various states took part in the championship. Inaugurating the mega event, the director general of the state police, J.S. Pandey said that such events not only give a fillip to sports but also promote the spirit of comradeship among the athletes from different states. In all, 26 events were conducted in various categories of rowing, kayaking and canoeing.

The over -all championship was bagged by the BSF which won 9 gold, with final tally of 16 medals and an aggregate of 60 points, while Uttarakhand finished as a runner up, with 5 gold medals and final tally of 15 medals and an aggregate of 47 points.

The rowing trophy was clinched by the ITBP, while Uttarakhand trailed at the second position. In kayaking the BSF won the top laurel, with the second position going to Uttarakhand. In the canoeing events, BSF came out with flying colours, followed by SSB. The championship and medals to the winner teams and athletes were awarded by the state minister for tourism and urban development, Madan Kaushik. The minister said that the state govt. would like to further promote water sports as there was a lot of natural potential available which could bring in revenue and boost tourism too.

The minister informed that the state govt. is preparing an ambitious project to promote water sports in the state. Under this project a canoeing-kayaking circuit, equipped with international facilities, will be developed in Roorkee. The Sports Authority is conducting a survey on the same. "A two km. stretch on the Ganga canal at Ranipur also holds the possibility of being developed into another water sports circuit," revealed the minister.