NEW DELHI, SRINAGAR, (PTK): India has started to feel the ripple effect of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to suspend the country’s hosting rights of global sports events.
The decision, which was an outcome of the Indian government’s refusal to grant entry visas to two Pakistani shooters and their coach for the recently-concluded World Cup, has brought international sports in India to a virtual standstill, and is now threatening to cause major casualties on the sports front.
To start with, the United World Wrestling (UWW) – the sport’s global governing body – has indicated that it may withdraw the hosting rights of the Junior Asian championships in July this year, following its stern directive to all its associated and affiliated national federations to stop communicating with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and not to award any hosting rights to them.
Similarly, the conduct of the men’s FIH Hockey Series Finals – an Olympic qualifying event – in Bhubaneswar in June is also engulfed in a cloud of uncertainty, with the international hockey federation’s (FIH) office-bearers in Lausanne trying to convince the IOC bosses headquartered over there not to snatch away the hosting rights of the event.
Since FIH president Narinder Batra, is also the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the veteran administrator is going all out to salvage the situation. However, that respite will not come anytime soon.
The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) is also worried as it is slated to host the Commonwealth Championships in Odisha from July 17 to 22 where Pakistani paddlers are expected to compete.
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