The Hindu : Sport : IOA ignores Padukone, Sriram, many others for torch relay

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IOA ignores Padukone, Sriram, many others for torch relay

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: For the second time in succession, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has ignored many prominent sports personalities while drawing up a list of 47 runners under its “quota” for the Olympic torch relay to be held here on Thursday.

It is difficult to imagine that someone in IOA could not think of Prakash Padukone, the greatest badminton champion India has had, or Sriram Singh, one of only six Indian athletes to have made the final of an Olympics.

Padukone was not invited last time also, before the Athens Games, when P. T. Usha was also sidelined. This time, though, Usha is among the runners invited by a sponsor.

The ‘non-invitee list’ becomes a virtual ‘who is who’ of Indian sports when you add tennis stalwarts Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, cue sport legend Michael Ferreira, former Asian badminton champion Dinesh Khanna, double-gold winning Asian Games athlete Hari Chand, hockey stars Ashok Kumar, Mohammed Shahid and Pargat Singh and football veterans Chuni Goswami or Inder Singh to the above.

Looking at the list, excluding those of the sponsors, it was clear on Wednesday afternoon that the IOA, despite having considerable time at its disposal ever since the relay was announced, had not been able to come up with any criteria for selection of runners.

Simply arguing that it was not possible to include all those who had shown an interest because of restriction on numbers will not wash since many of those who were eventually given the honour cannot claim to have greater achievements than those mentioned here. Surely, the IOA has bungled again.

It was sad to hear from Sriram Singh on Wednesday morning that he had expected a “call,” but found no letter from the IOA at his Delhi residence when he returned from Jaipur, his base after his recent retirement from the Sports Authority of India.

The simpleton that he is, Sriram, a finalist in the Montreal Olympics 800 metres, with an Asian record of 1:45.77 that still stands as the National record, was trying to get in touch with the IOA to enquire about his inclusion when this reporter met him at the Nehru Stadium. Sriram Singh is also a multiple medal winner in the Asian Games. Every sportsperson considers it an honour to be chosen to run the Olympic torch relay. There is of course no bar on eminent persons from various walks of life participating in the relay. But when “achievers” are ignored and “also-rans” brought in, questions are bound to be asked. “It is all right,” was Padukone’s refrain when he was contacted in Bangalore.

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