The Indian government has to soon decide on how far it wants to go in the sports arena in targetting Pakistan for using terror as a policy tool against India.
Following the terror attack at Pulwama, J&K, last month, the Indian government has been reluctant to grant visas to Pakistani athletes for international events hosted by India. This hasn’t gone down well with international sports governing bodies.
A few days ago when Indian government declined to issue visas for Pakistani athletes, International Olympic Committee suspended India’s hosting rights of international events.
Subsequently, a media report said that International Cricket Council has advised Board of Control for Cricket in India to obtain an undertaking from the government in good time about visas for the 2021 T20 World Cup which is to be hosted by India.
Sport does not exist in a vacuum. A government is within its rights to make a point through the medium of sport.
In India’s case, there is a factor which government needs to consider. The incidence of India playing host is increasing. If this is to continue then Pakistanis need to get a visa. In the matter of visas no country gets special treatment.
To illustrate, US had to offer guarantees on visas to successfully bid for the 2026 football World Cup. In a recent conversation with Times of India, Carlos Cordeiro, President US Soccer, said the Donald Trump administration had to offer FIFA (football governing body) guarantees that no player or fan would be denied entry.
This is a mandatory requirement to host international sporting events.
The Indian government needs to soon decide if it wants to suspend bids to host multi-country sporting events in the pursuit of an integrated approach to pressurize Pakistan to change it behaviour.