IOA non-committal on boycott, CGF on shooting recall

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 14

Noora Kushti is a Persian phrase that means that the fight has been fixed. And this word can also be used to define the outcome of Louise Martin’s two-day tour of India. Commonwealth Games Federation president Martin and her chief executive David Grevemberg had planned this visit to pacify Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) top officials who, led by president Narinder Batra, had called for the boycott of the 2022 Birmingham CWG after shooting was dropped from the Games programme.

The meeting, which was to thrash out differences, ended with both sides staying non-committal on a final answer. While Batra claimed that his threat of withdrawal still stands, Martin and Grevemberg had no clear answer on whether or not shooting will be reinstated to the 2022 Games programme.

“I used boycott which was the wrong word to use as I should have said withdrawal from the games,” Batra said. “We had a good productive meeting, but the chapter is not closed. We have to go back to our executive board with today’s discussion and then we will go to the general assembly and then we will go to the government with a final decision,” he added.

Martin was equally elusive. “We are working on it, we are working on different scenarios and let’s wait and see what happens,” she said.

Onus on ISSF

Strangely, both the parties put the onus on International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) to take responsibility to avoid a similar scenario in future. “One of the points that we would be addressing with ISSF is of the results at the Commonwealth competitions,” Grevemberg said. “Historically, results have not been counted for rankings and records. But I firmly believe that with our friends and colleagues at IOA, we will be able to start a new relationship with ISSF moving forward and also refresh our relationship with India,” he added.

The IOA president has been asked to talk to ISSF president Vladimir Lisin, while the CGF officials are scheduled to attend their General Assembly that is to be held on December 7 in order to figure out a future course of action.

As part of a solution, IOA has suggested that the medals tally of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships — touted as a compromise formula — should be added to the final medals tally of the 2022 Games. However, there is no commitment to it, Batra said. “This was a request from us if the parallel tournament is held around the same time,” Batra said.