Shiv Naresh to replace Li Ning, Sports Ministry to foot the bill

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 15

Indian apparel company Shiv Naresh has been roped in to replace Li Ning for sporting kits for the Tokyo-bound Indian delegation. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) dropped Li Ning unceremoniously last week after facing uproar for continuing with the Chinese brand apparel despite announcing intention to cut ties last year after the Galwan Valley clash.

Shiv Naresh, one of the regular suppliers of sports kits before IOA’s Rs 6 crore contract with the Chinese company, will supply new kits for the India squad without any branding. The Sports Ministry has given its consent to refund the amount. It is understood that the IOA had to hand Li Ning over Rs20 lakh to break the contract.

“We will buy the new kits from Shiv Naresh which has agreed to supply the kits to us. The kits will have no branding as we had announced earlier,” IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said.

“The Sports Ministry has been kind enough to give its consent that they will refund whatever amount is being charged from us for the kits,” Mehta added.

Mehta clarified that the Indian sports apparel company has to be paid as there will be no branding on the kits, which will have to be of a new design. “We can’t just remove Li Ning’s name from those kits and use them. These new kits have to be of a new design altogether,” he said.

Interestingly, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, a Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh, had launched the kits in his residence to celebrate 50 days to go for the Tokyo Olympics.

The presence of Rijiju, who has been vocal about the India-China ties with the one-year anniversary of the clash around the corner, had opened up fresh wounds. Under pressure, the IOA had announced that the Indian team would wear unbranded apparel.

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