Row over players serving snacks

Ranchi: A video showing players selected by Khelo Bharat Khelo, a government-sponsored body working for development of sports, for training at Delhi serving snacks at a function organised by ruling BJP here on Monday to felicitate them, has gone viral, sparking furore in sports circle. The young players in uniforms were seen in the clip queuing up with plates of snacks in their hands and then serving to some people at the programme.  The “unsavoury” incident has sparked furore in sports circle in the state.

Around 40 players from Jharkhand have been selected under Khelo Bharat Khelo programme for their training at Delhi. The players were felicitated at state BJP headquarters at Ranchi while they were on their way to Delhi. State BJP spokesman Pratyu Shah Dev however denied the reports that the players were serving snacks to BJP leaders at the function. “Our party had arranged high tea for the players to felicitate them. The tea party was an internal arrangement of the team of the players and their coach and BJP merely sponsored the party.

The tea party was arranged for the players after the BJP leaders attending the function left the programme. Hence, there was no question of players serving snacks to any BJP leader. But, some players were serving snacks to their seniors and their coach out of respect, not of compulsion,” he said. When contacted, Jharkhand Olympic association joint secretary Anupam Mehta said he was not aware of such an incident.