PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
An RTI report has revealed that 24 players from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force represented Uttarakhand in the recent 38th National Games. The players competed across various sports including boxing, shooting, volleyball, athletics, football, rowing, and handball. These details were provided in response to a RTI query by Dehradun resident Raju Gusain.
He said that according to the RTI response, each player out of 24 took part in boxing, shooting, volleyball and athletics, two players in football, eight in rowing and 10 in handball. All the medal-winning athletes from Uttarakhand in rowing and handball events were players from Services, as per him. He said that Uttarakhand secured three medals in rowing and two silver and one bronze through Services players. The State’s men’s handball team won a silver in the team event and a bronze in beach handball, with both squads comprising personnel from the Indian Air Force.
However, Gusain claimed that the RTI has also highlighted that some Services players reportedly participated without official clearance. Two notable athletes Narender Berwal and Gaurav Duhoon reportedly represented Uttarakhand without taking permission from Services. Berwal, a boxer from Haryana and a member of the Indian Army, represented Uttarakhand and won a gold medal in boxing at the National Games. He had earlier won a bronze medal in the 2022 Asian Games, as per Gusain. He said that Duhoon of the Bombay Sappers, who had won gold in the 55 Kg freestyle (U-17) category at the 2022 Asian Wrestling Championship in Kyrgyzstan, also participated without official permission.
