No emotional attachment to Lusofonia: Goa CM
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 17 July 2013 19:02 IST
Goa is hosting Lusofonia Games not with emotional attachment but merely to fulfill sovereign commitment, admits Goa’s BJP chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
He has fully endorsed the principled opposition expressed by his party colleague Vishnu Wagh.
Wagh has been consistently opposing Lusofonia Games in Goa, stating that Goa is not a Portuguese-speaking state.
Lusofonia Games are organised by ACOLOP, which primarily involves athletes coming from Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries, namely those belonging to the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries).
In addition, it also involves other parts of the World, where there are significant Portuguese communities or that have a common past with Portugal.
Participating countries are founding members Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Macau (Chinese SAR), Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Associate members of Lusofonia are Equatorial Guinea, India and Sri Lanka.
“Neither India nor Goa can actually be part of it”, said Parrikar, but declined to elaborate further stating that he does not want to create unnecessary controversy.
It is an international commitment given by our predecessors and we would execute it with total dedication, though without emotional attachment, clarified Parrikar.
Regarding the infrastructure, Parrikar said everything would be ready in time and would also be further used for National Games to be hosted by Goa next year.
Lusofonia Games will be held in November this year.
There is nothing wrong in organising and holding Lusofonia games in Goa.
Let us not create unnecessary controversies on this issue. It is a sporting event and Goa having been connected with Portugal for long (over 450 years) and India (not Goa) being an associate member of Lusofonia, it is only appropriate that the games are held in Goa.
Let Vishnu Wagh oppose the games. No harm. He is only trying to draw attention.
The Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) has opened a full fledged football training centre on July 17 at Our Lady of Piety High School, here, after 530 pm instead of 4.30 p.m.
GFDC had earlier conducted a football training summer camp for over 60 boys and girls organized by Fr Jesus Orlando Lopes, SFX, Collem parish priest and Joaquim Sequeira from May 1 to 17 at the same venue.
All the guest Mr Ganesh Gaonkar, Dr Rufino Monteiro and other dignitiries came very late.
One of the Boy who came to see the opening fell down and fractured his hand.
Empty mind was devils workshop