IOA rejects Saina’s request for Asiad accreditation for her father

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 5

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has learned its lessons from the Saina Nehwal pullout controversy that overshadowed the start of last month’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. IOA has formulated a no-parents policy for the August-September Asian Games. This decision will be communicated to all IOA-affiliated sports associations.

IOA has also refused a personal request from Saina to provide her father, Harvir Singh, an accreditation for the Asian Games. “We have said no to her request to get accreditation for her father for the Asian Games. The reason is that this will be unfair on other athletes,” an IOA source told The Tribune on Saturday. “Besides, as per protocol, only specific family members are allowed — the spouse of a minister, IOA chief and secretary general.”

“We will write to all national sports federations to not send us any requests to include somebody’s father or mother in the official contingent,” the source added. “We will only allow a family member to travel with the team if he or she is involved in the athlete’s sport in some capacity. Sorry to say, but Mr Harvir Singh is not involved in badminton at all.”

The source also clarified that the case of Ronak Pandit, coach and husband of pistol shooter Heena Sidhu, is different because not only is he involved in coaching Heena and other shooters, he is also an advisor to the National Rifle Association of India.

Tickets to matches

When asked about her request to IOA, Saina said she was unaware that her request had been turned down. “April 30th was the last date, so they had asked me to send the name of whoever was accompanying me. Did they say anything to you?” Saina said on the sidelines of the Badminton Association of India ceremony to honour the Commonwealth Games medallists.

“I am not thinking about him getting accommodation at the Games Village, we can always get him a hotel,” the double gold medallist from Gold Coast said. “But I want an accreditation for him so that he can come and watch my matches. It is not easy to get tickets.” 

CWG controversy

After her father had been denied accommodation at the Games Village at Gold Coast, Saina had emailed the IOA top brass, threatening to pull out of the Commonwealth Games. “If his accreditation is not cleared as an official I am not going to play the matches,” Saina had written in her mail. IOA then moved out one of its officials to accommodate Harvir Singh in the Games Village.

This time, though, Saina seems more accommodating and said if an accreditation for her father wasn’t possible, then IOA could provide tickets for him, which she would pay for.

“Keep the tickets for all the days and give them to us so that we don’t have an issue,” she said. “We will pay for that, but the main thing is that he should get to watch the matches and be with me during the competition.”

Playing in finals itself is a big thing: Sindhu

Her frequent losses in the finals and the accompanying criticism do not affect ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who on Saturday said playing in the final of a tournament itself is “a big achievement”. Sindhu, an Olympics and World Championship silver medallist, settled for the silver medal after losing to compatriot Saina Nehwal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last month. The 22-year-old had also faced defeat in the summit clashes of the Dubai Super Series Final last year and the All England Championship earlier this year. “It doesn’t really affect me. People might be talking but I think reaching the finals is itself a very big thing,” Sindhu said. “Before, I used to lose in the quarterfinals, semifinals, but now I am reaching the finals, so I am going a step ahead.” — PTI