The Hindu : Sport : IOA decision unilaterel, says Sports Minister

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Thursday, May 20, 2010
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IOA decision unilaterel, says Sports Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sports Minister, M. Vijayakumar, has expressed his displeasure over the dates announced by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the conduct of the 35t {+h} National Games to be hosted by the State.

In a release here on Wednesday, the Minister said the IOA announcement that the Games would be held in December 2011 was unilateral and a violation of the Host City Contract entered by it with the State Government on November 7, 2008. According to the HCC, the State was given the option to conduct the Games this year.

Vijayakumar said that Kerala had won the bid to conduct the Games after depositing a bid amount of Rs. 1 crore and had willingly taken up the challenge of hosting the Games within a short period. The State had gone in for a two-pronged strategy for hosting the Games: firstly by renovating the existing infrastructure and secondly by planning to establish a host of greenfield stadiums.

The Government had sought the intervention of the IOA several times as it had become apparent that the 34t {+h} National Games, to be hosted by Jharkhand, would not be held prior to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi from October 3 to 14 this year.

“Considering the fact that security problems would not allow the conduct of the Jharkhand Games until the Commonwealth Games was over, we had even expressed our willingness to host the National Games in suitable dates convenient to the IOA.”

However, the IOA never got back, the Minister said. “Had we known that the Games would get postponed indefinitely like this, we would have planned our preparations accordingly, saving a lot of money for the Government,” said Vijayakumar.

He said that Kerala would be making a formal representation to the IOA president, Suresh Kalmadi, to revisit the issue and help the State conduct the National Games this year itself. — Special Correspondent

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