Athletes lose as seniors shift blame

A squad of seven athletes,whose members are among the Commonwealth Games probables,was to leave on June 9 for the International Athletics Championships for amputees being held in Bottrop,Germany from June 11 to 13.

The team,however,could not leave due to lack of visas.

“We were not given suitable appointments for the visa application process when we approached the German Embassy in Delhi. They only had dates after June 20 available and by then it would have been too late,” said Raghunath,administrator,PCI.

With the Games four months away,the Bottrop tournament would have served as a good training ground for the athletes. Earlier,a training camp scheduled in London in May was cancelled abruptly,and now not many international-level competitions are upcoming for the athletes to test their skills.

The blame-game has begun with the Sports ministry and the PCI offering different versions.

“What can we do if the government does not send us the approval for the team in time. We cannot act until we get their go-ahead,” Raghunath said.

In its defence,the PCI claimed they sent a proposal letter to the Sports ministry’s International Sports Division (ISD) on April 17 with the list of probables for the games in Germany,but without an ‘administrative approval’ from the Ministry,they could not begin applying for visas for the players.

This ‘approval letter’ was received on June 4,from the Sports ministry’s ISD. With just a week left for the games to begin in Germany on June 11,there was no time left to complete visa formalities and release finances.

“We received a final list on June 2 from PCI and we dispatched the approvals on June 4. It was their duty to give us the list 90 days prior to the tournament,” ISD Joint Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said.

Until the night of June 11,the players were lodged in a 3-star accommodation in Karol Bagh,uncertain of their fate before they were whisked away to their training camp in Gandhinagar early Saturday morning.

“Now my fellow players in the camp are passing embarrassing remarks at us,surprised how we returned so soon from Germany,” said an athlete on the team,requesting anonymity.

For the athletes,it is four months of training and sacrifices gone waste.

While one of them is on the verge of closing down her eatery,another is a mother of two children and took sanctioned leave from Infosys for this tournament. At least four of the seven,are international medal winners.

On the other hand,a seven-member swimming team,which is supposed to leave for the International German Swimming Open for disabled athletes in Berlin,on June 17,is unsure of their fate.

This team,too,is on the list of CWG probables. While their visas have been issued,funds for the tournament have not been released.