The ministry has also ordered that the Commonwealth Games-bound athletes be tested for drugs while directing the authorities to ensure the athletes are not carrying injuries heading into the event. (Source: Twitter)
Wary that some athletes might try to overstay illegally after the Commonwealth Games, the sports ministry has asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to run background checks on them as well as their families before the event begins in Gold Coast, Australia, next week.
Sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, on Monday, cleared a 325-strong Indian contingent for the Games, which will be held from April 4 to 15. The Indian squad includes 221 athletes comprising 117 men and 104 women, 58 coaches, seven managers, 17 doctors and physiotherapists and 22 other officials. It is India’s biggest contingent for an edition held outside the country.
However, to ensure that none of the delegates flee the Games Village or go missing, the ministry has ordered a background check on each of them. “In view of the disappearance of some officials/sportspersons in foreign countries in the past, this ministry is of the view that background/antecedents of the members/officials may be checked proper,” sports ministry under-secretary AK Patro wrote in a letter to IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta on Monday.
There have been numerous instances of an athlete fleeing his team to seek asylum in a host city during a multi-discipline event. But most of these cases involve African nations. There are no recorded instances of an Indian athlete disappearing during an event. However, according to the International Migration Outlook 2017 report, India was among the top countries for asylum requests in 2016 for Australia.
A ministry official, though, played down the issue. “This is standard protocol whenever a team travels abroad,” the official said. “A scenario might arise that an Indian athlete might flee and try to stay back. In that case, it is important to know his or her background.”
The ministry has also ordered that the Commonwealth Games-bound athletes be tested for drugs while directing the authorities to ensure the athletes are not carrying injuries heading into the event.
“The Indian Olympic Association, Sports Authority of India, National Anti-Doping Agency and concerned NSFs (National Sports Federations) may take appropriate measures for conducting the dope tests. IOA may also ensure medical fitness of the team/individual sportspersons prior to their departure,” the ministry wrote in a letter addressed to Mehta.
The physical fitness of players has been a major issue going into multi-discipline events. At the Rio Olympics, discus thrower Vikas Gowda, who claimed to have ‘passed’ a fitness test just before the Games, blamed a knee injury for his below-par performance while Saina Nehwal and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt too lost in the early rounds due to injuries.
Shuttlers’ parents to travel at no cost to govt
Meanwhile, the sports ministry has refused to bear the expenses for Saina Nehwal’s father Harvir and PV Sindhu’s mother Vijaya’s travel to Gold Coast. Harvir and Vijaya are among the 15 individuals who, despite being cleared to be part of the Indian contingent, will not be funded by the government for their travel, stay and other expenses.
Curiously, the contingent list does not include any coaches or managers for the seven-member gymnastics team. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had named Ashok Kumar Mishra and Minara Begum as two coaches and Makarand Joshi as the manager. However, Mehta said since their names were added late, they did not find a mention in the list sent for ministry’s approval. “We will send a letter with their names to the ministry and request for approval,” Mehta said.
The only names the sports ministry did not clear are of Arun Mendiratta, who was named as the chief medical officer, and physiotherapist Hema Valecha. Sources said Mendiratta was not given permission to travel as a part of the team because of his critical remarks against the National Anti-Doping Agency in the past whereas Valecha was accused of not taking prior permission from her employers, the Sports Authority of India.
There were doubts over whether the government would allow the parents of India’s top two shuttlers to travel with them as part of the official contingent. Eventually, their names were cleared at no cost to government. “Harvir and Vijaya were not assigned any role by the badminton federation so it is evident that they are travelling just as parents and not as coach or manager. Keeping that in mind, it has been decided that the government will not pay for their trip,” a ministry official said.