NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has formulated a no-parents policy for the upcoming Asian Games, to be held in Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September.
This decision will be communicated to all IOA-affiliated sports associations.
The IOA’s move comes in the wake of the controversy that overshadowed the start of last month’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, when badminton star Saina Nehwal threatened to pull out from the Games if her father, Harvir Singh, was not given accreditation.
Saina has already sent in a formal request for accreditation for her father for the Asian Games as well, which the IOA has rejected.
“We have said no to her request to get accreditation for her father for the Asian Games. The reason is that this will be unfair on other athletes,” an IOA source told The Tribune on Saturday. “Besides, as per protocol, only specific family members are allowed – the spouse of a minister, IOA chief and secretary general.”
“We will write to all national sports federations to not send us any requests to include somebody’s father or mother in the official contingent,” the IOA source told the daily. “We will only allow a family member to travel with the team if he or she is involved in the athlete’s sport in some capacity. Sorry to say, but Mr Harvir Singh is not involved in badminton at all.”
The source also clarified that the case of Ronak Pandit, coach and husband of pistol shooter Heena Sidhu, is different because not only is he involved in coaching Heena and other shooters, he is also an advisor to the National Rifle Association of India.
On her part, Saina has clarified to The Tribune that she was not looking for a free ride for her father. “I am not thinking about him getting accommodation at the Games Village, we can always get him a hotel,” the double Gold medallist from Gold Coast said on the sidelines of the Badminton Association of India ceremony to honour the Commonwealth Games medallists. “But I want an accreditation for him so that he can come and watch my matches. It is not easy to get tickets.”
Saina also made clear to the daily that if accreditation for her father was not possible, then IOA could provide tickets for him, which she would pay for.
“Keep the tickets for all the days and give them to us so that we don’t have an issue,” she said. “We will pay for that, but the main thing is that he should get to watch the matches and be with me during the competition.”
