The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has threatened to cancel India’s participation in the World Para table tennis championship in Granada from November 6 to 12.
Taking a serious view of repeated instances of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) ignoring their mails regarding travel details, room reservation and “most importantly, the payment,” the world body has decided to act tough.
Resorting to a stern tone and tenor in its latest letter (dated October 14, 2022) to the CoA, ITTF’s Classification Manager (Para Table Tennis Events) Pablo Perez categorically stated, “You have received several messages from the LOC (Local Organising Committee) and they are still waiting for your answers. At this moment, the deadlines are over and the LOC is entitled to cancel your participation and the ITTF would allocate the slots to other countries.
“Please, I cannot hold the situation much longer. The LOC needs an urgent answer regarding the rooming, the travelling details and most importantly, the payment.”
Notably, the Indian team includes Olympic silver medallist Bhavina Patel, Sonal Patel, Ravi Baby Sahana and Ramesh Bhai Choudhary. Lalan Doshi is the coach while Nikul Patel and Himangi are the two escorts.
On October 12, World Para TT’s Tournament General Secretary Isabel Molina wrote to the CoA, “I have not received any answer from your side. Deadline for payment was 23rd of September. If you do not send proof of payment within 48 hours, we cannot guarantee the room reservation. Please make sure to send us the travel details before the last day (October 21) or your delegation will not be taken into account in the transport schedule.”
Even on September 26, Molina wrote to the CoA-appointed manager S. K. Tandon, and sought the requisition for rooms, with names of the players and the width of the wheelchairs. When the CoA failed to respond, Molina shot back, “Will you please answer my email below? I need the information to issue the invoice (which should have been already paid by now).”
In fact, the ITTF is no stranger to the CoA’s poor communication. In its letter dated August 15, with reference to “Notice of Proposed Suspension,” the ITTF Secretary-General Raul Calin wrote, “The ITTF, particularly, the Executive Committee (EC), has been greatly concerned about the situation affecting TTFI.”
After briefly mentioning the chronology of events from February 18, Mr. Calin mentioned, “The EC noted that we were supposed to receive an update from you following the Court hearing on 6th July but that didn’t happen.”
Meanwhile, the members of the Indian squad are waiting anxiously for the CoA to rush the payment to the ITTF and ensure their participation.
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