By Syed Ajaz

Srinagar, Jan 24 (IANS): Two Sqay Martial Art players from Tral sub-district of South Kashmir have been selected for the South Championship.

The local people expressed their happiness, seeing the great spirit among the players of the area. This comes only after a few years of attention from the government that has changed the picture of Jammu and Kashmir, which was the most affected by the unfavourable conditions during the last 30 years. And at the international level, the name of the country and Jammu and Kashmir has started to shine in the sports arena.

Kashmir is a place in the country where the youth have the ability to perform admirably in every field, but despite the passage of decades, the previous governments did not pay attention to any special facilities for the youth here. Because of which, the passions and abilities of the youth and children showing improvement in various fields were buried within them.

Although rich families or influential people were able to go forward to some extent, the children of the poor and those from the remote hilly areas were nowhere to be seen despite being very capable and the passion of these children and youth remained a dream.  

The government first started focusing on the youth from the remote areas since 2019. Various government departments have been mobilized to cater to their needs and interests.

The government approached the children and youth at the ground level and assured them of all the help so that they too can walk side by side with the rest of the states or UT athletes or children.

It has brought a revolutionary change at the ground level. The government has started various programmes and on the other hand, the academies recognized by the government in the Kashmir Valley have been supported by the sports council.

It has taken help to attract the youth, which has resulted in children becoming more interested in different sports, and as a result of better training, the children here have left the villages and reached the places they dreamed of in just three years.  

The government has made various arrangements for these players. Coaches for various sports have given better training to the players from the region, which they have expressed in UT and national level competitions. The children have participated in major competitions like Soothing.  

There is good news for Sqay. The manner in which the government has taken measures here in sports, the players say, has not been done by any government till date.

The two athletes have entered the South Asian Championship: Adiba Younis (14), a resident of Tral, and 9-year-old Manzoor Khan, a resident of Luro Jagirtral. Both have been training for the past two years at Lino Sqay Martial Art Academy in Tral, South Kashmir.

Both have been selected for the ongoing South Asian Championship. Both of them have made it to the championship held in Nepal after showing excellent performance in the 23rd National Championship held in Jammu recently. Belonging to this remote area of the valley, the sky martial art players have won great praise in Jammu by showing excellent performance and the sports experts have greatly appreciated the ability of these children.  

This is the first time that any player from the Mazkoura region has been organised for this kind of championship. Both the young players said that they will make a great effort and make the name of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the country proud.

They said that they are very happy. "We have got this opportunity. We are grateful to the government that they have made it possible for us. The government has provided us with the facilities so that players from any region can play at any place based on their ability."

This championship will continue from February 3 to 5. Feroze Ahmed Butt, the coach of both the children, said, "I have full faith in my two players. They will shine the name of their country and Jammu and Kashmir here too. With full cooperation till date we have produced a large number of children who have succeeded in winning various medals at the national level."

The coach further said, "If these children perform well here too they have to play against South Korea. Both the kids are gold medalists."

Leno Martial Art Club is a trusted name in Kashmir. Feroze Ahmed Butt, who runs the academy, says that initially there were six children under training in his academy, but after a thorough evaluation of qualifications by the current government and administration, Sports Council two were chosen. In this way, more than 300 children and youths are currently being trained in this academy, while more youths are waiting for admission. And there is important proof of the ability of these children.

Government initiatives for sports in Tral

Sub-district Tral is one of the worst affected areas of South Kashmir's Pulwama district during the last 30 years and the area has been affected by adverse conditions on a large scale. The way the government has started taking steps for improvement. Construction of sports fields at Panchayat level, a stadium at Bijuni which is a beautiful stadium in South Kashmir, besides this, arrangements for playing other sports at the same place.

It is the first time that the government has done something for the youth at the ground level. The youth also feel that something is happening for them. Earlier, the children used to play the same game in the streets, alleys or graveyards and now they have got a full stadium.

After 2019, the trend of children towards sports

Bajuni Tral Stadium is spread over 120 kanals of land where there are separate fields for different sports. Mohammad Akram Sheikh, the in-charge of the stadium, said, "I have been posted in this stadium for 20 years. Sometimes a couple of teams used to come, but after 2019, more players come here of deployed. More staff has been deployed and their time is not wasted now."