Government drops only a handful for CWG

In the list of 330 presented by the IOA, seven managers were cleared at ‘no cost to government’.

The Indian contingent for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the send off ceremony in New Delhi last week.

The Union Sports Ministry approved a list of 325 members that includes extra officials and parents, for the Commonwealth Games to be staged in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4 to 15.

However, the government will bear the cost of only 310, including 221 athletes and 58 coaches.

The 275 athletes and coaches will get $50 per day as pocket allowance, from the day they reach Australia till a day after the Games are over.

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Doctors, physiotherapists and other officials, in the approved list of 35, will get $25 per day as allowance.

In the list of 330 presented by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the government cleared extra officials while putting an asterisk mark on seven managers, meaning that they were being cleared at ‘no cost to government’.

For example, in shooting, nine officials were scheduled to accompany the 27 shooters, and the National Riifle Association of India had requested for the clearance of a tenth person as ‘extra official’ — the national junior chief coach Jaspal Rana.

While clearing Jaspal ‘at cost’, the Ministry marked the name of Amarjang Singh, the shotgun coach, to be borne by the federation.

Whereas, in boxing, the government agreed to bear the cost of the entire list of nine officials, including five 'extra', who will accompany 12 boxers, including four women.

Saina Nehwal’s father and P.V. Sindhu’s mother also figure in the list of approved persons, who will take care of their own cost.

The Ministry dropped chief medical officer Arun Kumar Mendiratta and physiotherapist Hema Valecha from the IOA list, while allowing another doctor and a physiotherapist as part of the general contingent staff, not specifically attached to any discipline.

The two gymnastics coaches Ashok Kumar Mishra and Minara Begum apart from manager Makarand Shrikrishna do not figure in the approved list of the Ministry. To be fair, the IOA had included the three only in its revised list.

The name of the first athlete in the list of 222 presented by IOA, javelin thrower Annu Rani, also does not figure in the list of the government.

The approved contingentof 325: Athletics (43), badminton (18), basketball (32), boxing (21), cycling (13), gymnastics (7), hockey (50), lawn bowls (12), para powerlifting (6), para table tennis (3), para swimming (4), shooting (37), squash (9), swimming (4), table tennis (17), weightlifting (21), wrestling (19), chef de mission (1), contingent officials (6), medical staff (2).