IOA firm on hosting Afro-Asian Games

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 18. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is determined to go ahead with the Afro-Asian Games here in November despite the Government directive to it to postpone the games.

To provide a big boost to the sagging spirits of the IOA, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, whom the IOA President, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, met on Wednesday morning, agreed to look into the matter afresh. He has asked the IOA to come to him along with the Union Sports Minister, Ms. Uma Bharti, and the former Sports Minister, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

Mr. Kalmadi, who addressed mediapersons after a meeting of the IOA Executive Council on Wednesday, said that he was hopeful of the Prime Minister taking a decision in the interests of the games. The next meeting with the Prime Minister would be held after consultations with Ms. Bharti and Mr Dhindsa, said Mr. Kalmadi.

Taken by surprise by the directive-``a two-line note'' as Mr. Kalmadi put it-from the Ministry the previous evening, Mr. Kalmadi had swung into action and met Mr. Vajpayee on Wednesday morning. The Prime Minister, Mr. Kalmadi, said was informed that there was no time to organise the games.

The IOA chief said that six months' time was sufficient to get the infrastructure ready since the 1982 Asiad venues, according to him, were got ready in about one and a half years. Here, he pointed out, there was to be no additional stadia. The existing ones were to be either upgraded or renovated and that should not take more than six months in his opinion.

The funds were no problem either, according to Mr. Kalmadi. The government would at the most be expected to spend only Rs 20 crores out of the Rs 40 crores required for the conduct of the games. Another Rs 25 crores would be required to upgrade the stadia, but that in any case was overdue, according to him. In case the Government was unable to spend anything for the conduct of the games, the IOA was prepared to raise even that amount apart from the Rs 20 crores it was ready to mobilise through sponsorships. Mr. Kalmadi said that the IOA had already finalised the sponsors and they were ready to pump in the money required.

If it was a question of Pakistan participating in the games, Mr. Kalmadi said even that was not an issue since Pakistan only had a realistic chance of figuring in hockey. ``Because of various other commitments they will not be coming for hockey even'', said Mr. Kalmadi. So, the Pakistan angle, which had been bandied about the past few days as one of the reasons forcing the Sports Ministry to seek a postponement, was no longer valid, he countered.

Time and again, Mr. Kalmadi and the IOA Secretary- General, Mr. Randhir Singh, talked about the ``international commitment'' which India had made, with the former Sports Minister, Mr. Dhindsa, being in the forefront at several meetings. They also talked about the international federations having adjusted their calendars to suit the dates of the Afro- Asian Games and the preparations of teams in various countries.

The last time the Secretary-General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Mr. Peter Velappan, was here to attend the Afro-Asian Games council meeting, he had stated that the International Football Federation (FIFA) was in no position to adjust any dates or to advise leading footballers of Africa to make themselves available for the games since they were already overburdened. As for teams getting ready, at the moment no one knows who are all going to participate in the games, especially in individual events.)

A resolution was passed, unanimously, seeking the Prime Minister's intervention and advising the Sports Ministry to complete the upgradation of infrastructure and procurement of equipment. The resolution traced the background of India being chosen to host the games and the approval the Union cabinet had given to New Delhi hosting the games.

The meeting also passed two other resolutions, one concerning the topic of `Concurrent List' and the other on autonomy.

Asked whether the two subjects were not inter-related and why a separate resolution had to be passed on the `autonomy' issue, Mr. Kalmadi said: ``We just felt like passing such a resolution.''

On the topic of sports being brought into the Concurrent List, which will enable the Centre to legislate on sports matters, the meeting expectedly took the stand that sports should be left with the state governments. It was argued in the resolution that the initiative of the states in the field of sports would be dampened. (The majority of the states are, however, in favour of sports being brought under the Concurrent List.)

On the question of `autonomy', which the IOA and the federations feel would be threatened in case sports was brought under the Concurrent List and in case the Sports Ministry brought in a new set of guidelines under the `code of conduct', the resolution reiterated the portions dealing with the subject in the Olympic Charter.

``The house unanimously passes the resolution that the IOC Charter on the status of autonomy of the NOC...and its affiliated National Federations should be maintained.''

While the Charter says that the NOCs shall preserve their autonomy and resist all pressures of any kind, including those of a political, religious or economic nature, it does not bar Governments from bringing in regulations or legislations. In short, it is for the NOCs to preserve their autonomy and not for the governments to ensure that they are not treading on the NOC's toes.

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