NEW DELHI: After the Union government’s grand ignore to a missive sent by the International Olympic Committee nearly two months ago, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has interceded on IOC’s behalf and issued a fresh letter.
IOA president Narinder Batra has written to Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, urging him to address the issue at the earliest.
“Government of India is requested to give an urgent written guarantee to IOC that government of India will ensure the entry of all athletes/sports officials/sporting delegations entitles to take part in any international/continental/regional sporting events held in India (including but not limited to participants from Pakistan and Kosovo, as the case may be), so that they can effectively participate under the same conditions and protocol as any other participating delegation, in accordance with the rules of international/continental/regional sports organisation concerned and in full compliance with the rules of the Olympic Charter, so that international sporting events continues to be held in India,” the letter in possession of IANS reads.
“Looking from the sports perspective it is a(n) established fact that for excelling in sports, a country is required to hold official international events in its home so that its young generation is attracted and sensitized towards sports and country becomes a sporting powerhouse. As such the present situation, resulting from these recent incidents and which is now preventing India from hosting international sporting events, is not good for the overall development of Indian sports. Consequently, these issues must be quickly addressed and resolved,” the letter further reads.
In February, the IOC had decided to ‘suspend all discussions’ with India regarding hosting of global sporting events after two Pakistani shooters were not issued visas for the World Cup in New Delhi. The meet was held immediately after the terrorist attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.
As a consequence, the IOC said it will not allow India to organise Olympic-related events in the future unless written assurances are obtained from the government.
The IOC had then stated: “This situation goes against the fundamental principles of the Olympic charter, in particular the principles of non-discrimination, as well as the IOC’s and the Olympic movement’s position, reiterated on many occasions over the past few years, that equal treatment must be guaranteed for all participating athletes and sporting delegations at international sports events, without any form of discrimination or political interference from the host country.”
The IOC’s decision could hamper India’s chances of hosting a series of events including the proposed bids for 2026 Youth Olympics, 2030 Asian Games and 2032 Olympics.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will also be hosting the 2020 Under-17 Women’s World Cup but as Pakistan has zero chances of qualification, there will be no problems there.
