Category Archives: Sports

Destination Tokyo: Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

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Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya is a former Indian field hockey player from Coorg, Karnataka. He was a member of Indian squad in many international games, including the team that won the Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games.

Somaya went on to play two more Olympic Games, viz., 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games, and 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games. He was the captain of the 1988 Olympics team.

A member of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Games, he is happy to see more and more youngsters coming forward to take up hockey seriously, and India’s young players impressed him with their determination at the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.

“These days, the opportunities are more in the country. A structure has been formed in most of the sporting disciplines where young talent is encouraged.

They should grab this with both hands. They should focus on sports,” said Somaya, while talking to The Free Press Journal on the eve of the National Sports Day.

Looking ahead for sports in the country in the coming years

Things are looking very bright indeed. We have established our prominence at the Asian and Commonwealth level. The next step is to make a mark at the Olympics.

There have been many new ideas and suggestions. Do you feel they have been implemented if not why?

I feel that there have been many new ideas that have been implemented successfully. The Khelo India scheme has shown great promise in identifying young talent to prepare a wide base of sportspersons for international competitions.

The central and state governments have announced many incentives for successful and aspiring sportspersons that have been well received. Private companies are setting up academies and offering financial aid for sports stars.

Do you feel there is a lack of sports culture in our country? What is the remedy

A sports culture is gradually being propagated among people. There is an increasing awareness of the contribution of sports to overall fitness of an individual.

Infrastructure is being made easily accessible in cities and smaller centres also. An effort is on to integrate sports as part of the curriculum in schools.

India has reduced sports to merely an extra-curricular activity. Your comments

There is an air of positivity in regard with sports in India today. Sports like badminton, kabaddi, table tennis are jostling for space with cricket, hockey and football for viewership.

With the IPL style format competitions in all sports there are lucrative careers on offer. Incentives by the Government and sponsorship by Private companies have given sport great impetus.

Funds have been the main crunch which has been the complaints of many. Your take.

Funds for sports are more easily available today. At the highest level the TOPS scheme provides elite athletes with substantial financial support.

Private organisations like TATAs, Reliance, Jindal and a host of NGOs like Olympic Gold Quest are ensuring that there is a steady stream of funds for sportspersons at different stages of their career.

Your take on lack of Infrastructure, recognition of sports other than cricket, lack of ambition or national plan? I am sure you have a bag full of remedies. Please share

There is already a lot of improvement in infrastructure for other sports in India. These need to be taken to rural areas soon since a lot of the talent is emerging from smaller centres, 2-3 tier cities and villages.

Public-Private Partnership is critical to ensuring that the Infrastructure in the country reaches people even in the remotest areas.

Your comments on our athletes who would board the flight to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, and hockey in special

I’m certain that India will put up a good showing this time at Tokyo 2020. Shooting, Wrestling and Badminton are good medal prospects. In other events too India can push hard for medals.

Our hockey team has done well in the recent Pre- Olympic test event at Tokyo and this augurs well. We have a sound blend of effervescent youngsters and battle hardened players. We have consistently maintained our fifth position in the FIH rankings for the past year.

source: http://www.in.news.yahoo.com / Yahoo News / by Free Press Journal / August 29th, 2019

The happiness of a long-distance biker

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

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Yoga teacher Sangeetha Jairam rides off into the yonder in her spare time

“I’m no biker chick,” Sangeetha Jairam says firmly. “I am more of an adventure-traveller; my motorcycle is something of a companion-teacher, who has taught, and continues to teach me, a lot about life.”

Biker chick or no, Jairam, who is within eye-balling distance of 50 but doesn’t look it, is definitely one more name added to the growing number of women who make long-distance rides on their motorcycles. Her most recent ride was from Finland to Norway in June 2019. She was part of a group of eight motorcyclists, all riding Japanese bikes, who rode from Helsinki to Nordkapp and back, covering a distance of around 3,600 kilometres in 12 riding days.

Jairam rode a Kawasaki ER6n, a 600cc motorcycle. The itinerary was Helsinki-Kuopio-Kuusamo-Ivalo-Skarsvag-Rovaniemi-Vaasa, and back to Helsinki.
“That was indeed one great experience,” she says, enthusiastically. “Our daily distance bar was set at 500-plus kilometres, and since it was summer in Finland, the sun shone all day and all night, and we couldn’t tell the difference!”

Everything pointed North on that trip. The European Highway E69, has its northern terminus at the North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe accessible by road. The Cape has a 307-metre-high-cliff with a large plateau on top, where visitors, weather permitting, can watch the midnight sun and view the Barents Sea to the North.

“The best part of the ride was reaching Nordkapp, Land’s End of the European continent, 2,093 kilometres from the North Pole,” says Jairam. “To get there, we had to ride around the Arctic Sea, which was a stunningly scenic road. I had my first-ever experience of the Arctic gale there. At times, it took real effort to keep the motorcycle from rising up in the air! Since it’s the Arctic region, there was hardly any vegetation except rolling grasslands and lots of reindeer skipping across the road. It was truly an amazing ride.”

Jairam inherited a passion for bikes from her father. “After he graduated, my father returned to India from Germany in 1964 on a motorcycle! All my childhood, I saw him on a motorcycle, so it was only normal for me to ride one.”

Currently, she alternates between riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan and a Hero MotoCorp Impulse, but her all-time favourites continue to be the BMW, Triumph and Honda motorcycles.

It’s not all been smooth riding, of course. While riding in Bhutan, some years ago, she got over the Pele La pass and the bike had a flat tyre. “It was 4pm, not a good time to be stuck in the mountains,” she recalls. “It was late, the light was fading and the skies opened up! Then, a lone vehicle came over the pass, a pick-up truck, onto which my bike was loaded; the next repair shop was 70 kilometres ahead, and on that track, it meant a travel time of four hours. But this experience taught me that bikers are blessed; my initial dismay turned to pure exhilaration!”

Discussing her enthusiasm for riding bikes, Jairam, who often takes solo trips, says riding motorcycles is a hobby and travelling to experience new places and people is a passion. “I would not call it an expensive hobby because this is what I love doing most. There is little else I spend on, I save to moto-travel.”

Jairam grew up in Coorg and did her schooling at The Lawrence School, Lovedale in the Nilgiris, where she says she had the best time of her life. “I always wanted to ‘give back’ to the school, and three years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to introduce yoga into the school curriculum.”

Interacting with children has to be the best job on earth, she avers. “Children are awesome, they keep me fully engaged. Just like riding motorcycles, my day job, too, has taught me so much and given me immeasurable happiness.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Motoring / by Sheila Kumar / August 21st, 2019

Winning at Worlds always a dream: Ponnappa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
In 2011, Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze medal in the World Championships held in London alongside Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles event.
In 2011, Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze medal in the World Championships held in London alongside Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles event.

Indian shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa has said it’s always been her dream to perform and win at the World Championships and that’s why she would try to give her best at the tournament beginning on Monday in Basel, Switzerland.

Ponnappa will be participating only in the women’s doubles event alongside N. Sikki Reddy as her mixed double’s partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has pulled out of the tournament with injury. Ponnappa and Sikki will begin their World Championships campaign on Tuesday against Taiwan’s Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.

“My main focus is to give it my all. There is no sure shot chance of winning for anyone. Hopefully things go well for us and we do well at the World Championships as it’s always a dream to win there,” Ponnappa told IANS.

“Our performance at the Hyderabad Open was good and has definitely given us confidence going into the World Championships,” she added.

In 2011, Ashwini won the bronze medal in the World Championships held in London alongside Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles event. And since then, medals have eluded her at the Worlds. However, she is hoping for a better performance this time around by finishing on the podium.

Ponnappa and N. Sikki recently won the silver medal at the Hyderabad Open after they lost to Korean players Baek Ha Na and Jung Kyung Eun in the summit clash.

Speaking about her camaraderie with N Sikki — they won the bronze medal at 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast — Ponnappa said: “She is great to play with. There is a good understanding on court and both of us are very supportive and encouraging towards each other on court, which helps a lot.”

The performance of the Indian shuttlers has not been great this year as they have not been able to win many medals. Recently, Chirag Shetty and Rankireddy became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win a BWF Super 500 event in Bangkok. Apart from that, there has been little joy for the Indian shuttlers in 2019.

However, Ponnappa feels the performance of Indian players has not been bad.

“No one likes bad performances, least of all us players. It’s not like we like losing. It is definitely very hard to get back after a first round loss. But that is what sport is and the knowledge that there is even the slightest possibility of us doing well and reaching our goals is what keeps us going and helps us get back to court to work hard to get it,” said Ponnappa.

“There have been a few good performances the last couple of months with players reaching the semis and also winning big tournaments. That is definitely motivating for everyone,” she added.

Speaking about her own performance, the Indian shuttler believes that she is just focusing on putting up her best foot forward and working on basics.

“The roster has been hectic, but despite our first round losses the matches we’ve lost and the quality of them have been good, so it’s just about having faith in ourselves and continuing to work and trust things will fall into place.”

source: http://www.gulftoday.ae / Gulf Today / Home> Sport / August 16th, 2019

Hyderabad Open: Silver for Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Top-seeded Indian women’s double champions Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy won the silver at the Hyderabad Open badminton championship, losing to Korean players Baek Ha Na and Jung Kyung Eun in the final clash. The pair lost to the Korean champions 17-21, 17-21 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

Reddy took to social media to announce the silver in an emotional post: “It’s silver medal for me and my partner @p9ashwini in Hyderabad open Grand Prix.

We had played pretty good matches from the first round but unfortunately we couldn’t pull the finals match which will make us learn and get better. I would like to thank each and everyone who came and supported us especially to my family, friends, fans and well wishers. I have nothing but gratitude. Also it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my coaches, support staff and to my sponsors…. Thank you everyone #nevergiveup #toughsituationsbuildstrongpeople #keepfighting #bepositive”

Meanwhile, reighning national champion Sourabh Verma defeated Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 21-13, 14-21, 21-16 in the 52-minute final to win the men’s single title.

source: http://www.femina.in / Femina / Home> Trending> Achievers / by femina / August 12th, 2019

Little champs reign in slush-filled paddy field

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Nature, Sports
Students of Kodagu Vidyalaya transplanted paddy seedlings in a field at Ibnivadi in Madikeri taluk recently.
Students of Kodagu Vidyalaya transplanted paddy seedlings in a field at Ibnivadi in Madikeri taluk recently.

Children played to their hearts’ content in a slush-filled paddy field at Ibnivadi during the ‘Nati Sambhrama’ programme.

The Ibni Springs Cottage and Green City Forum jointly organised the programme – in which more than 40 students from the Kodagu Vidyalaya took part and got an experience of paddy transplantation for the first time.

Children soiled their body and clothes to gain practical knowledge of transplantation. Even though the children did not have any training in paddy transplantation, they learnt it through trial and error and transplanted paddy as they fancied.

They also took part in rounds of football, throw ball and tug-of-war that were organised in the field while their parents cheering them.

Kukkera Jaya Chinnappa, Green City Forum president, who spoke on the occasion, said that the forum intends to send out messages on environment conservation, agriculture, waste management and cleanliness to the people. Programmes are being conducted in this regard in both urban and rural areas, he added.

The winning teams were awarded prizes.

Kodagu District Working Journalists’ Association President Savitha Rai, Kodagu Press Club President Ajjamada Ramesh Kuttappa, Green City Forum founder-president Cheyyanda Satya Ganapathy, former president Ambekal Navin Kushalappa, general secretary Polakanda Rakesh and director P Krishnamurthy were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / August 03rd, 2019

Kodagu Shuttler For World Seniors Badminton

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

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Thathapanda Jyothi Somaiah, daughter of Thathapanda Dally Somaiah and Pookunji Somaiah (Thamane Chettolira) has left for Poland to represent India in World Seniors Badminton Tournament 2019. The tournament will be played from Aug. 4 to 11.

The 2019 BWF World Senior Championships, officially BWF World Senior Badminton Championships Katowice 2019, is a tournament which will be held at Spodek in Katowice, Poland.

This is an individual championship with men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles events. The age categories are divided as: +35, +40, +45, +50, +55, +60 +65, +70 and +75.

The World Senior Championships is a prestigious individual event for players and the winners of each category is awarded a gold medal and crowned World Senior Champion in their particular age category. The runner-up gets a silver medal while the third place winner gets a bronze medal. Jyothi studied in Government Primary School, Maragod and Junior College, Madikeri. She graduated from of FMKMC College, Madikeri and did her B.Ed at Sarvodaya College, Virajpet.

Jyothi has the credit of being a Kodavathi to take part in Republic Day Parade at Delhi in 1984. She has worked as an announcer on AIR, Madikeri.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / August 02nd, 2019

Tennis star Rohan Bopanna conferred with Arjuna award by sports minister

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Sports

The Asian Games gold medallist says he “would have loved to receive it from the president at the Rashtrapati Bhawan along with other athletes and achievers”.

Rohan Bopanna receives the Arjuna Award from union sports minister, Kiren Rijiju. Alongside him is his wife Supriya Annaiah. - SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Rohan Bopanna receives the Arjuna Award from union sports minister, Kiren Rijiju. Alongside him is his wife Supriya Annaiah. – SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Rohan Bopanna finally got his hands on the Arjuna award, as he received it from the union sports minister Kiren Rijiju here on Tuesday.

“It is an amazing feeling to hold the award. Definitely, I would have loved to receive it from the President at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, along with other athletes and achievers. But that does not take anything away from the thrill of receiving it,” said Bopanna, who received the trophy, along with his wife Supriya Annaiah.

More than the award, Bopanna, a former world No.3 doubles star who narrowly missed the mixed doubles medal with Sania Mirza in the Rio Olympics, said that he was delighted to meet such a sports-loving minister.

“He is such a big tennis fan, and has been watching tennis for a long time. We spoke for nearly 45 minutes and it was great and very positive. He also talked about following women’s cricket, as Smriti Mandhana also got the award today,” said Bopanna.

During his interaction with the Sports Minister, Bopanna also requested that all the matches featuring the Indian tennis players on the Tour be streamed live on the internet for the benefit of youngsters in the country.

“It may be difficult to get it on television, but live streaming is something that can inspire the young players. The minister was very receptive and said that he would see how it can be done,” said Bopanna.

Not having received any money so far this year despite being part of the TOPS funding, Bopanna did broach the subject with the minister. He was told that the national tennis federation needed to keep the athletes in its Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) so as to make it a smooth affair.

“The SAI Director General, Neelam Kapur was also there. I was told that the medical bill for me and the funds for the first three months had been approved. So, it should be a matter of time before it reaches us. I have already sent all the original bills so far,” said Bopanna.

Since Bopanna and Divij Sharan had won the Asian Games doubles gold, they have been kept in the TOPS as a team. Thus, whatever money is sanctioned would be given 50% to the two.

“I would love to continue to play with Divij on the Tour. But, the fact is that with our ranking, we are not getting into the ATP-500 and Masters events. It is not easy to play only the big tournaments with other partners. Even now, the cut for Washington DC is 47. Me and Denis Shapovalov are one out at the moment, and have to wait. That is the reality. If we don’t play the big tournaments on the Tour, how do we prepare for the Grand Slams and the Olympics,” queried Bopanna, who will be partnering Shapovalov till the US Open.

source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / Sport Star / Home> Tennis / by Kamesh Srinivasan / New Delhi – July 16th, 2019

Tourists throng Dubare to enjoy rafting

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Sports
Tourists go rafting in River Cauvery at Dubare.
Tourists go rafting in River Cauvery at Dubare.

Rafting, an activity that is a big favourite of tourists at Dubare, is back. As a result, the tourist camp is buzzing with activities again.

As river rafting had been banned in River Cauvery at Dubare a year ago, the number of tourists had dipped drastically.

The rafting association had urged the district administration and District In-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh to lift the ban on rafting and support the local entrepreneurs.

As the ban has been lifted, tourists are now making a beeline during weekends to take part in the adrenaline-pumping and adventurous activity.

This, in turn, has left the organisers of the rafting activities as well as the local vendors smiling.

River water level

Water rafting at Dubare is being conducted along a distance of eight kilometres. The water level in River Cauvery too has risen, following good rain in the district. More number of youth were seen enjoying rafting.

The sport was relaunched at Barapole as well. Barapole is located 35 kilometres away from Madikeri. A fee of Rs 600 is charged per head for those keen on rafting activity.

River rafting was introduced in Dubare in 2002. In case of good rain, rafting activities can been conducted till December.

Dhanush, a software engineer who took part in rafting at Dubare, said, “The plans to take part in the rafting activity could not be realised a year ago as it had been banned. Now, we got a new experience.”

Elephant camp

Businessmen said that as the rain was less this year, more number of tourists were landing in Kodagu. Many of the tourists have also been visit the elephant camp at Dubare.

Randeep from Bengaluru said that he would like to explore all tourist sites in Kodagu.

Tourists have been thronging Raja Seat, Abbey Falls, Mallalli and Irpu Falls. The homestay and resort business has also been revived, the businessmen added.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Kushalnagar / July 19th, 2019

Hockey brings families together

Amazing Feats, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Aiming for a Goal: A match in progress during the Kodava Hockey Festival 2016 in Madikeri, Kodagu. Photos by DH, Niran Shantheyanda
Aiming for a Goal: A match in progress during the Kodava Hockey Festival 2016 in Madikeri, Kodagu. Photos by DH, Niran Shantheyanda

Kodavas loved to pursue two patriotic passions. One was to be part of the nation’s defence forces and the other was to play the national sport. Hence, it was said that a Kodava was born with a hockey stick in one hand and a gun in another.

Hockey was not just a sport in Kodagu, it was a way of living. Kodagu’s children practised and excelled in hockey. There was untapped talent in Kodagu but there was no way to demonstrate it.

Aiming for a Goal: A match in progress during the Kodava Hockey Festival 2016 in Madikeri, Kodagu. / Photos by DH, Niran Shantheyanda
Aiming for a Goal: A match in progress during the Kodava Hockey Festival 2016 in Madikeri, Kodagu. / Photos by DH, Niran Shantheyanda

Considering this, Pandanda Kuttappa (Kuttani) and his brother Kashi Ponnappa decided to begin the annual Kodava hockey festival in 1997. “I wanted this festival to be of use to children. I wanted them to get a chance to play for India,” says Kuttappa , former first-division hockey umpire.

That year, Kuttappa’s extended family helped organise the event. Teams from 60 Kodava clans came to participate. The Kaliyanda team won the Pandanda cup. The event is called a festival (namme, in Kodava language), and not a tournament because it helps bring people together to celebrate. Each year one Kodava clan conducts the tournament and the cup is named after the clan. The Kodava Hockey Academy governs the annual festival.

Members releasing the banner of a hockey tournament.
Members releasing the banner of a hockey tournament.

The academy also decides which family can organise the tournament in a particular year. As of now, families have been selected to organise the tournament until 2025.

According to Shantheyanda Ravi Kushalappa, any family that wants to organise the festival should apply to the Kodava Hockey Academy. The application will be checked and considered on a first-come- first-serve basis. The selected family will have a year to prepare for conducting the event. The state government partly funds the event on most years. Lok Sabha MP for Mysore-Kodagu also grants some money. The rest of the money is collected by the family through donations.

Kodava hockey festival.
Kodava hockey festival.

The family puts together a committee which is responsible for organising the event. They select a convenient ground and arrange all the facilities near the family’s ancestral residence.

According to the Limca Book of Records, the Kodava hockey festival is both the largest and the longest hockey tournament in India. This is probably the world’s largest family tournament as well. In 2018, 329 teams participated in the Kulletira Cup held in Napoklu.

Men, women and children take part in the tournament. There is no bar on age or gender. Among the prominent women players are goalkeeper Shivachaliyanda Nilan (Ekalavya awardee) and Malamada Lilavati.

In 2014, the Thathanda family organised a rink hockey event for 35 families. Later, two formats were supported: league matches for champions who regularly made it to the semifinals and knockouts for others.

In recent times, a number of similar family tournaments such as Kodava cricket, badminton, tug-of-war and golf, Kodagu Gowda cricket, Kodagu Heggade hockey, Amma Kodava cricket, Yerava cricket, Kodagu Muslim football and volleyball events are held in Kodagu.

The champions

There are a few strong family teams who often make it to the top. The Palanganda team has won the festival the highest number of times (five) so far. They entered the finals eight times (between 2006-2016).

Kodagu has produced several Hockey Olympians like Maneyapanda M Somaya, Mullera P Ganesh, B P Govinda, Arjun Halappa, S V Sunil among others. Most of the winning teams have Olympians in their midst. The Koothanda team, led by former Olympian K K Poonacha, comes a close second, having won the festival four times (including the 1999 draw with Kulletira team) between 1998-2008. The Cheppudira team, with another Olympian C S Poonacha, were the runners-up in the 2001 edition.

Olympian goalkeeper Anjaparavanda B Subbaiah’s team has been consistent over the years since 1997. They were winners twice and in the finals five times. Subbaiah attributes the team’s success to the remarkable individual efforts of its players.

The Kaliyanda team won thrice and came second twice. The Nellamakkada team won thrice and hosted the 2001 Cup. Kulletira won all the three times it came to the finals. The Mandepanda team won the tournament once.

In the 2018 finals, the defending champion Chendanda scored two goals and didn’t allow Anjaparavanda to score. Two Olympians were on the field: Nikkin Thimmaiah, a young forward, and Subbaiah, veteran goal-keeper.

“The hockey festival brought the family together. The family members stay in different villages. Earlier, there were no interactions between them, and they didn’t know each other (for many decades),” says Subbaiah. This has been the case with many Kodava families.

The kids of Kodagu are taught to wield the hockey stick at a young age. Their parents make crude hockey sticks and play the game with them after school hours.

Every summer, during the months of April and May, this festival brings together members of joint families. The relatives living in the cities, in the army or elsewhere converge in Kodagu. Uniforms and kits are prepared and at least eleven players are registered. For weeks, the teams practice playing with their hockey sticks on fallow fields and empty grounds.

Personal touch

My family team, the Mookonda team, is quite strong having players like Nikhil, Jnapak who trained in Sports Authority of India.

The first time I watched a Kodava hockey festival game was in our hometown Ammathi. It was the 2001 Cup. Cousins, aunts and uncles came together after a long time. Even my paternal grandmother, who was bed-ridden at the time, requested us to take her to the stadium to watch the hockey game.

The air was filled with slogans being shouted out cheering our home team: “Come on, Mookonda! Steady, Ammathi!”

We also went to watch the Muckatira family match during the 2002 Chekkera Cup in Hudikeri. Even while the sun was beating down upon us and we were all sweating, we cheered the team enthusiastically.

Paused by calamity

Floods and landslides ravaged parts of Kodagu in 2018. In order to show solidarity with the victims, the 2019 hockey festival was initially cancelled. However, the cancellation was not appreciated.

“A year break would make youngsters lose a chance to practice and display their skills,” says Hockey Coorg treasurer Palanganda Lava. Paikera E Kalaiah, who played in the 1975 Hockey World Cup, presides over Hockey Coorg.

Therefore, Hockey Coorg organised a 2019 family tournament with 146 teams in Kakotparamb. Funds were handed over to the calamity victims during the closing ceremony.

In 2020, the Harihara Muckatira family will host the event.

As families bond during this annual festival, hockey players, both young and old, exhibit their talent.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Top Stories / by Mookonda Kushalappa / July 13th, 2019

Ban Lifted; River Rafting Resumes In Kodagu

Business & Economy, Records, All, Sports

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Madikeri:

A year after Kodagu District Administration banned White Water River Rafting activity on River Cauvery in Dubare and other rivers, the activity has resumed in full swing. Yesterday, around 10 water rafts were made operational at Dubare following the lifting of the ban by Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.

The rafting activity was officially flagged off by Somwarpet Dy.SP P.K. Muralidhar at a stretch of Cauvery water in Periyapatna. Administration sources told Star of Mysore that the ban was lifted on the instructions from Tourism Minister S.R. Mahesh, who is also the Kodagu District Minister.

While lifting the ban, the DC has put stringent terms and conditions, including strict permissions for the activity. Organisers must ensure safety of tourists during the activity and Departments including Forest and Tourism have been asked to take necessary measures for re-starting river rafting. Rafting charges will not exceed Rs.600 per group, and a total of 48 rafts will be allowed in Dubare area, the DC said in her order.

Each owner has been asked to get a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from a local Panchayat, Fire and Emergency Services Department, Public Works, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department, certificate for raft instructor and also mandatory registration in the Labour Department.

According to the current guidelines, water rafting must start only at one point in Dubare (earlier rafting was being held at multiple points). Only five people have been permitted to operate rafts and each of them can own only two boats. Officials from the Kodagu District Administration will be monitoring the water rafting activities.

Before the ban, water rafting was an all-year programme in Kodagu.

Last July, the then Kodagu Deputy Commissioner P.I. Sreevidya had banned river rafting activity and white water rafting across the district for one month and subsequently extended the rafting ban.

In her order, the DC had stated that there were many adventure organisations and home stays running river rafting activities without permission.

The DC had issued the orders in the wake of several complaints from the tourists and villagers that adventure activity organisers have no expertise in river rafting and some of them are organising such events just to make money. Mandatory safety measures are not being followed by the organisers and lives are at stake, the tourists had complained.

Last February, a tourist from Hyderabad had got into an argument with an organiser of river rafting in Dubare and was killed in the ensuing altercation. It had come to the notice of the District Administration that many organisers of the adventure sport submitted fake documents to the DC and there was a no match between the permission letters and the submitted letter.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 08th, 2019