New Delhi: In the wake of the alleged rape case of a minor hockey player in a selection camp in Uttarakhand, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in the proximity with the National Games Organising Committee have set up a helpline number for the upcoming National Games in order to prevent any kind of harassment, abuse, or violence against athletes or coaches.
Earlier this month, a 30-year-old coach state-level hockey coach was arrested by the Haridwar police on the allegations of raping a 16-year-old player during a selection camp for the Uttarakhand State in the 38th National Games, which is scheduled to open on Tuesday (January 28).
“The Indian Olympic Association and the National Games Games Organising Committee have established a safeguarding telephone helpline as part of a focused initiative to promote safety and well-being as well as to prevent and address adverse incidents during the Uttarakhand National Games 2025,” said an IOA release.
“The helpline will be available to athletes, coaches, and officials around the clock. This is part of our initiative to prevent harassment, abuse, and other forms of interpersonal violence in sports. We have also formed a Safeguarding Committee that will work to prevent safeguarding issues and look into any complaints that may arise,” said IOA president PT Usha.
Composition and Role of the IOA’s Safeguarding Committee
The safeguarding committee will have Neetal Narang as its chairperson as well as Deepa Mehta. The role will be to take the complaints into consideration and maintain timely actions to avoid incidents that compromise the integrity of the tournament. The committee will have to maintain accountability, and avoid similar happenings further. The IOA wants to create a safety environment.
The 38th National Games will be held from January 28 to February 14 with six cities to host the multi-sporting events. Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Tehri, Haldwani, and Rudrapur are the six cities to host the event, wherein 32 core games and four demonstration sports will be held.
Following allegations of a minor hockey player’s rape at an Uttarakhand selection camp, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and National Games Organizing Committee established a 24/7 helpline for athletes and staff at the upcoming National Games. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
