Lifting official rude to driver, gets a rap on the knuckles from organisers

Vinayak Padmadeo

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New Delhi, July 30

On a day when India got on the medals table at the Commonwealth Games via the weightlifting arena, a staff member of the team was found violating his accreditation privileges.

Gina Dawson, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) relations manager for Asia and Africa, has written to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), detailing the violation.

She wrote that the weightlifting team manager Pardeep Sharma first used an official car he was not entitled to use, and was then rude to the driver for not dropping him at his desired destination.

“We have been advised that one of your Team Officials, Pardeep Sharma was quite rude to one of our T2 drivers earlier on today as he had requested to be dropped off to a non T2- destination,” Dawson wrote in the letter, a copy of which is with The Tribune. “Just to note that Team Officials do not have T2 privileges and will only be able to use your own CGA vehicles, or our bus transport to other Villages or Venues, or public transport with their accreditation.”

“There is also a confirmed destination list and our drivers are not taxi services able to drop off anywhere. We kindly ask for your teams to be respectful and courteous at all times to all our workforce,” she added.

The incident took place despite the fact that Sharma – like the entire Indian contingent – was provided with a video titled Life in Birmingham, which detailed the dos and don’ts they needed to follow during the CWG. Produced by the Sports Authority of India in association with IOA, the video is in both English and Hindi and was provided to the contingent two weeks before the CWG started.

Acting IOA president Anil Khanna has asked Sharma to keep a low profile. “We are all ambassadors of a great nation here. I expect you to keep a low profile and look for privilege only within the rules. We have to remain polite with everyone we meet,” Khanna said.