Clear all who have qualified, IOA plea to Sports Minister

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 28. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday made a forceful plea to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, to allow all those who have earned qualification to participate in the Sydney Olympic Games in September. The plea, by the IOA Secretary- General, Mr. Randhir Singh, was made at a meeting convened by the Sports Ministry to disscuss various issues, including the new draft National Sports Policy and the Union Government guidelines. The office-bearers of the IOA and the federations attended the meeting.

With the Sports Ministry also thinking along the same lines as the IOA, there is every chance that all those who qualify for the Games would make it to to Sydney. So far, India has qualified in hockey (men), boxing (four boxers), shooting (one), table tennis (3), rowing (2) and swimming (1).

In athletics and weightlifting, the qualifying competitions/period are yet to be over while in tennis, the doubles pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are likely to make it. In badminton, P. Gopi Chand should also gain qualification.

A comparative chart prepared by the ministry, basing the eighth- place performance of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as the norm in measurable disciplines, shows that the Indian competitors are nowhere near the standards. This is particularly so in athletics and swimming. In weightlifting, where for all practical purposes, two women, Kunjarani Devi and Karnam Malleswari should be the ones in contention for qualification, the Olympic weight categories are new and no comparison could be made.

``Strictly going by the present standard, there is very remote chance of winning any medal. However, it will be very discouraging if we do not send our players to participate in the Olympics...The Government feels that we should send our players, whosoever has qualified, in any event, to participate in the Olympics and be given the necessary support/training for participation,'' notes the agenda papers prepared by the ministry.

Mr. Randhir Singh's argument might go against the selection criteria laid down by the Amateur Athletic Fedferation of India (AAFI). The AAFI has pegged the norms quite high in most of the events; even beyond the reach of the Indian athletes in some cases. Strictly going by the International Amateur Athletic Federation's entry standards, a sizeable athletic contingent might qualify, but the AAFI itself is not keen on pressing for the clearance of large numbers. At least that had been the federation's stand till recently. Now it might change, in the light of the IOA's argument. The qualification period in athletics stretches up to September 11.

The meeting also discussed, among other topics, the recent income tax exemption given to donations to the IOA, clearance of managers with various teams for participation in competitions abroad, increased financial assistance for NSFs to conduct National championships and the bill to bring sports on the Concurrent List.

Expectedly the federation representatives demanded that the income tax exemption be extended to the NSFs, too. In fact right at the time when the Union Finance Minister announced in his budget the exemption granted to donations to the IOA, the federations had pointed out the urgent need to enlarge the scope of such an exemption.

On the question of clearance of managers, the majority of the federations demanded that the old practice of their nominees being cleared at Govrenment expoenses should be followed. The Goverment had not been clearing managers at its cost for international competitions for several years now. In 1997, at a meeting of the ministry, IOA and the NSFs, it was decided that the federations should prepare a panel of persons for engagement as managers.

Last year, it was suggested that three names be proposed by the federations for appointment as managers for clearance to overseas competitions. The ministry noted that only five federations had so far sent their panel of names and there were more than three names.

The existing financial assistance for holding National and international championships would be doubled. The Government has so far been giving Rs 50,000 for senior National championships, Rs 75,000 for junior and sub-junior Nationals and Rs 5 lakh for international competitions.

All proposals for foreign exposure, approved by the ministry, would be cleared at full cost from now onwards, the ministry has agreed. Surprisingly, there was widespread opposition, including from Mr. Randhir Singh and Vijay Kumar Malhotra, President, General Association of National Sports Federations of India (GANSFI) and the Archery Association of India, to the move to bring sports from the State List to the Concurrent List.

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