Sivasagar, Dec 14: Bhogeswar Baruah, Assam’s first Arjuna Awardee and a gold medalist in the 800m at the 1966 Asian Games, has criticized the state government for failing to take initiatives in identifying and nurturing sports talent, particularly in rural areas. The 84-year-old athlete expressed concern over the lack of organized efforts to discover new talent, noting that such initiatives have significantly declined in recent years.
Baruah highlighted that in the past, talent identification camps were regularly organized, but these efforts have stopped. He also pointed out that while the state government employs several coaches, they are not being utilized effectively to organize training camps in districts, which has led to a stagnation in the development of sports in Assam.