01/08/2025
Arjuna Awardeees and Olympians Joaquim Carvalho and Merwin Fernandis visit Don Bosco HS Panjim
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Cuncolim Hockey Club adopt two schools as part of youth development program
Arjuna Awardeees and Olympians Joaquim Carvalho and Merwin Fernandis visit two schools in Cuncolim and The Kings School Sao Jose de Areal
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Newly formed Cuncolim Hockey club have adopted two Cuncolim Schools - Our Lady of Health High School Cuncolim and St Anthony High School Veroda Cuncolim as part of their youth development scheme.
Yesterday, two Goan-origin Arjuna awardees and hockey Olympians Joaquim Carvalho and Merwin Fernandis, who are providing technical support to the all-Goa project to help Goan hockey and lift it from the doldrums, visited the twin schools and interacted with the school management and students.
The plan according Cuncolim Hockey Club President Oscar Martins is to train children studying in Grade 1 and 2 in a five-year long program.
The two Cuncolim schools join Fr Agnel Multipurpose High School Verna which had launched their won hockey youth development project in February with technical backing of the two Olympians.
The two are also associated with St Ann Institute Agonda which introduced hockey game to their students in the last academic year.
Besides the South Goa schools, Carvalho are part of the Hockey development plan in North Goa schools like Holy Cross HS Bastora, St Anthony Monte de Guirim HS and Don Bosco HS Panjim.
Sources close to the two Olympians said that St Anthony HS Duler will also be part of the youth development program for North Goa school which is carried forward by Goa Mavericks Sports Club through their dedicated members and overall guidance of Carvalho and Fernandis.
The Pilar Fathers based in Honda village in Sattari taluka are carrying out their youth development program and training some 100 students, both boys and girls of different age groups during the academic year in the remote village.
Another school which has been doing well in hockey in the school level competitions is Damodar English High School Gudi Paroda and some three students of the school have got full hockey kit donated by the two Olympians.
Yesterday, the two Olympians also visited two other schools The Kings School Sao Jose de Areal they were received by the School Chairman Melvin Pereira and director Ligia Pereira.
The two Olympians started the day-long tour by first visiting Don Bosco High School in Panjim city where they are part of the youth development program launched in the last academic year.
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School students of four schools in Goa get to have a feel of the Olympic medal
How does an Olympic gold medal look like. Most of the Goa school students and adults alike would have not seen an Olympic medal, leave alone feel it.
Yesterday four schools in Goa, The Kings School Sao Jose De Areal, Don Bosco HS Panjim and two Cuncolim school students Our Lady of Health HS and St Anthony HS Veroda got a rare chance to have a closer glimpse and have a feel of the Olympic gold medal.
Thanks to the initiative of Arjuna awardee of Goan-origin Merwin Fernandis to take his 1980 Moscow Olympic gold medal along with him and give the school students a rare chance to have a closer look at his prized collection.
At Cuncolim, the Grade 1 and 2 students of Our Lady of Health High School Cuncolim and St Anthony HS Veroda had no idea how the medal looks, weights or never had an opportunity to see an Olympic medal at close quarters, until yesterday.
Merwin was accompanied on the day-long tour of the four Goa schools by India teammate and another Arjuna awardee Joaquim Carvalho, who has been captain, coach and selector of the India team.
“The magic moment will forever remain etched in their memory...they might because hockey players or not, sportsmen or not...but this moment they will talk for a long time nostalgically few years or few decades down the line,” said Oscar Martins, president of Cuncolim Hockey Club.
Nice way to get the youngsters interested and showcase them the dreams of playing for Goa and India and winning hopefully a gold medal like Merwin Fernandis,” said Glestone Fernandes another key member of the Cuncolim Hockey club.
