Bengaluru: In a shocking move, the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) has dismissed 31 athletes, who had represented at the State and National level, from the Sports Hostel in the city recently, citing poor performance.

Among the 31 athletes, 23 alone are from Kodagu district. With their dismissal, the future of these athletes is in a limbo, at least till they find new accommodation.

Sources said that, the 23 athletes from Kodagu were studying in various PU and Degree colleges. Few of the students, hailing from poor economic background, have expressed their inability to afford accommodation in Bengaluru, which comes at a cost.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, DYES Kodagu Assistant Director V.T. Vismayee Chakravarthy justified the decision to dismiss the athletes stating that it was a regular process.  “Sports Hostels have limited seats and only those athletes with good performance will be allowed to stay, while under performers will be removed. The athletes must maintain their high performance levels,” she added, citing stringent norms.

Vismayee also mentioned that, for athletes studying from class five to 10, the rules are flexible, as their performance in sports will be given a least priority, since they would be in a learning phase. But for the students of PUC and Degree colleges, they need to perform well since the competition is intense.