Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 10 (IANS) The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Friday expressed its unhappiness at being left out of the sports ministry efforts to bring Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) together to settle their differences and form an unified body to run the sport in India.

A day after Sports Minister Ajay Maken called the warring hockey organisations for a meeting Saturday, IOA’s acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra said Friday that the apex body of sports should also have been involved in the process.

“We all want an unified hockey body. Both the bodies have written to us and being the apex body of sports in the country, the first right of arbitration is with the IOA and not the sports ministry. So IOA should have been involved in this process,” Malhotra said.

Malhotra said the government should not threaten the two bodies with dire consequences if talks fail.

“The government should not threaten the hockey bodies. And the government should also not merge them by taking equal number of members from both bodies. The unified body should be elected,” he said.

Malhotra, who is also the president of the Archery Association of India (AAI), said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not allow the government interference in sports.

“For us Hockey India is the official body because it is recognised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). We have nothing against IHF. The IOA also wants an unified hockey body in the country,” he said.

Malhotra was happy with the Rs.258.39 crore allocation the sports ministry has made for the preparations of athletes for the London Olympics.

The IOA president also asked the sports ministry to throw open the Commonwealth Games venues for sports federations to host national and international events.

“We have raised the issue of preserving the legacy of the Games with the sports ministry. The stadiums are only used for political events. We want this to be stopped immediately and the sports ministry should give the stadiums only to federations to host national and international events,” he said.

Malhotra also asked the sports ministry to take up the plight of shooters with the home ministry. Shooters, who are seen as India’s medal prospects in Olympics and other international events, have been left in the lurch after the Delhi High Court made it mandatory for air gun owners, only above the age of 21, to have a license.

“The sports ministry should immediately take up the case with home ministry. Today we have shooters who start practicing at the age of 15-16, what will happen to them,” he said.