WHAT PRIORITIES!

The IOA (Indian Olympic Association) has provided a list of 8 athletes who were found guilty of using banned substances. The offences were detected during the National Games held at Guwahati in the month of February. It took almost four months to make this announcement. The IOA defended itself on the ground that the samples were sent abroad in order to eliminate any suspicions.

We have to understand the pressures that the likes of Suresh Kalmadi have faced in the last couple of months. The IOA put a lot at stake to secure the right to host the Asian Games. Of course, Incheon city of South Korea put up a superior display to emerge the winner.

Kalmadi was also busy talking with the organizers of Formula 1 to get a race in New Delhi.

These are the priorities of our sports administrators and no wonder the sports scene is so dismal.

FORMULA ONE

The IOA (Indian Olympic Association) is said to have inked a deal with FIA to bring F1 to India. The news channels are reporting the likely staging a race in New Delhi by 2009. For this purpose, a new stadium is to be constructed.

This is where things are likely to be messy and true to Indian style, full of politics. Mani Shankar Iyer, the Union Minster in charge of Youth Affairs and Sports is at loggerheads with Suresh Kalmadi, the man who controls the Olympic movement in India. Reportedly, Iyer is not in favour of staging costly sporting ‘spectacles’ when at the grassroots there is no support to sports and sportspersons, in terms of facilities. To a large extent, this is the truth.

About 600 acres of land is needed to construct the race course and the Indian promoters have to pay an annual licence fee of $30 million US.

But unless Kalmadi and company stage and host events, they are not going to make the money. It is only through such events that bosses of sports bodies in the country like to show their gratitude to the supporters. Not to mention the reaping from the spurt in the real estate prices.

So a race is likely to take place for the actual race.