IOA says Ministry included 4 officials in Asiad contingent without its recommendation

The IOA on Sunday shot off a letter to the Sports Ministry, asking how these four officials and support staff were included in the contingent without being recommended by it.

The IOA has also mentioned in the letter to the Ministry to include two more coaches in sport climbing as all the three Indian participants are minors. (Representational Image)

The Indian Olympic Association on Sunday said that four officials and support staff cleared by the Sports Ministry on its cost for the Asian Games cannot be part of the contingent as it has not recommended them for the multi-sporting event starting August 18.

The IOA on Sunday shot off a letter to the Sports Ministry, asking how these four officials and support staff were included in the contingent without being recommended by it. They are not even accredited for the Games, the national Olympic body said.

The four are S.C. Roy (coach) and Ruma Kar (masseur) from archery, Manoj Rana (coach) from gymnastics and A. Jayarajan from swimming. Jayarajan’s capacity in the swimming team was not mentioned in the contingent list approved by the Ministry.

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“We have not sent the names of these four officials to the ministry and we do not know how come their names cropped up in the contingent list approved by the ministry,” IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta said.

“Since their names do not feature even in the long list, there is no accreditation for them and hence, they cannot be a part of the contingent. So, we have written a letter to the ministry how it has happened,” he added.

Mehta also said that the IOA has requested the Ministry to reconsider its refusal to bear the cost of all 26 team managers, saying that the federations will not be able to bear the expense of sending them to the Games.

“The federations will not be able to send the team managers if they have to bear their cost. Then, the teams will be playing in the Asian Games without managers and it may lead to problems like the boxer Sarita Devi case in the last Asian Games."

“In those kinds of situations, only the team managers can lodge a complaint. The coaches and other support staff cannot do anything in such cases. Then, everybody will blame the federation and the IOA for no fault of theirs,” Mehta said.

The IOA has also mentioned in the letter to the Ministry to include two more coaches in sport climbing as all the three Indian participants are minors, saying that each of them needs a coach under rules.

Only Amit Kumar has been cleared by the government to be part of the sport climbing contingent for the three players — Sanjay Shreya Nankar, Maibam Chingkheinganba and Bharath Stephen Pereira.

“All the three are minors and under rules, each of them should be accompanied by a coach. So, we have requested the ministry to clear two more coaches in sport climbing,” the IOA Secretary General said.

The IOA is also trying to convince the Ministry to bear the cost of 400m coach Basant Singh and change the P-Card status of another athletics coach.