The Afro-Asian Games is riddled with variables but, with the event less than three months away, you’d be forgiven for thinking that at least the venue is fixed. Not so, apparently, because Sports Minister Vikram Verma told Parliament today that the cabinet was ‘‘yet to give approval’’ to Hyderabad staging the first edition of the Games.The minister’s statement is intriguing, not least in its timing: coinciding with the visit of a team from the Commonwealth Games Federation is inspecting India’s bid for the 2010 Games.More important, however, the Indian Olympic Association — the AAG’s organising body — has already issued the invitations with Hyderabad as the host city and entries have been accepted from all the participating nations from Africa and Asia.With the Games’ schedule fixed (October 22-November 2), it was decided that athletes from Africa would fly from Abuja in Nigeria to Hyderabad soon after their selection at the 2003 African Games, which ends on October 18.IOA president Suresh Kalmadi and secretary-general Randhir Singh rejected the possibility either of a ‘rift’ between the IOA and Sports Ministry or of Andhra Pradesh pulling out of staging the event. ‘‘The cabinet’s approval should come this week itself,’ Kalmadi told The Indian Express.However, IOA officials are upset with what they say is an ‘‘irresponsible statement’’, pointing out that the matter is sewn up, save formalities.
