Centre to IOA: What! Asiad 2019! No way

Aug 03, 2010 - Age Correspondent |

New Delhi

Amid allegations of rampant corruption on the part of the Organising Committee for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the government is understood to have turned down the Indian Olympic Association’s attempt to bid for the 2019 Asian Games.

Reports claimed that the IOA had quietly offered to host the quadrennial event, informing the sports ministry only after the expiry of the June 30 deadline to seek mandatory government approval.
But sports minister M.S. Gill denied having any knowledge of the Asiad bid or his ministry being approached by the Indian Olympic Association on the matter. “I don’t know about any bid yet. The sports ministry can only have a view if things are done through a proper system. If you want to bid for anything, you have to prepare a lot of documents and you have to have your own council meeting, financial documents, planning documents and have to submit those to the ministry,” Mr Gill said on Monday.
“The ministry has to consult and get the view of the finance ministry to see how much money is being spent. You start at a tiny thing and then it gets unlimited because the burden is on the state.” Mr Gill said presenting a bid was a long process. “After that we also have to consult the home ministry, security, tourism, Planning Commission. Then we have to take our decision and then go to the Cabinet once or twice to get their consent. So, nothing has happened yet and nothing is before us,” he added.
However, contrary to Mr Gill’s claims, sources said there would be a formal meeting of the IOA with the Cabinet this week to reconsider the government’s stand on the bid.
Clearly the government’s stand has, in part at least, been influenced by the Commonwealth Games preparations controversy.

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