Discipline rejig may cost India 30 Commonwealth medals in Glasgow
Wednesday, 7 August 2013 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Reuters: India stand to lose at least 30 medals in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games in the absence of disciplines that generated nearly one-third of their record haul at the Delhi Games three years ago, according to the sports ministry.
The 2010 Delhi Games, plagued by allegations of graft and mismanagement, is remembered more as India’s $ 6 billion public relations disaster, a feeble response to China’s near flawless hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Local athletes, however, have fond memories of the Delhi Games where India finished second with a record medal haul of 101 that included 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze. Nearly one-third of these medals came from disciplines such as archery, Greco-Roman wrestling and pair shooting events but none of these feature in Glasgow following a decision, the ministry said, taken two years ago.
“The exclusion of these events will severely impact India’s overall standing in the medals position in the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow in 2014,” the sports ministry said in a statement. “The Minister (Jitendra Singh) desired to know how this decision to exclude these events was taken some two years back without the views of India being properly articulated.”
Singh, who met sport officials on Monday to review India’s preparation for both the Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea, has asked the sports secretary to “take up the matter at the highest level with the Commonwealth Games Secretariat”, the statement added.
Some individual shooting events have also been dropped from Glasgow, prompting the Indian shooting federation to complain to the Commonwealth Shooting Federation (CSF).
“Our only avenue was writing a letter to the Commonwealth Shooting Federation,” National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh told The Indian Express newspaper. “The organisers are ignoring the CSF too. It is too late to do anything now. Yes, our medal count will come down, but nothing can be done now,” he added.
