IOA seeks PM's help to stage Afro-Asian Games

The Indian Olympic Association on Monday sought Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's intervention to stage the Afro-Asian Games as scheduled, following the government's call on Monday to defer its staging, saying it is an international commitment from which the country cannot back out.

"I met the Prime Minister this morning and explained the position to him. He has agreed to meet an IOA delegation, which will also have with it present Sports Minister Uma Bharti and her predecessor Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, at a convenient date," IOA president Suresh Kalmadi told reporters after the apex sports body's executive committee meeting in Delhi on Wednesday evening.

Kalmadi refuted the government's contention that infrastructure and organisational back-up are not in place. He said the existing stadia only needs a little renovation, and informed that a technical committee has already started functioning.

Of the Rs 400 million estimated budget to host the first edition of the Games, scheduled to be held from November 3 to 11, the IOA chief said the government's share is only Rs 200 million, which is already been provided for in the Union budget.

"If the government has any problems, we will find sponsors for that amount as we have done for our share of Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million)," he added.

Kalmadi said the Union Cabinet had given its approval for the Games last year and provided funds for them in the latest budget. The then Sports Minister Dhindsa had conveyed the government's consent to the Afro-Asian Games Council.

"As a matter of fact, in our note to the Cabinet, we had proposed only six disciplines, but at the government's suggestion that we include some more, in which India has medal prospects, we increased the number to eight," he said, adding: "We even offered the chairmanship of the organising committee to Uma Bharti."

Kalmadi wondered what the problem is. "The holding of the Games was mentioned prominently in the President's address to Parliament. After all this, what is the problem? Where is the problem?" he asked.

He said the IOA has been working towards the Games since the last year in close cooperation with the government. "And, when everything was going hunky-dory, we were shocked yesterday to receive the brief letter asking us to provide fresh dates. What hurt us more was that the letter was released to the press at the same time that it was sent to us."

About his meeting with Vajpayee, Kalmadi said: "The Prime Minister told me he was informed there is no time left for preparing for the Games.

"I told him we do not need new infrastructure. The existing ones need a little renovation. All hotel bookings have been made and there will be no Games Village. We could come up with new infrastructure in one year, we don't need more than a few months for renovation.

"The Prime Minister agreed to meet an IOA delegation along with Uma Bharti and Dhindsa."