Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Top Indian tennis players Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna have threatened to pull out of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games over the non-payment of their dues. The sports ministry has held the All India Tennis Association (AITA) responsible for not submitting the requisite documents for reimbursement.
The players, in a signed letter to AITA, have asked for reimbursement of their dues, dating back to the 2008 Davis Cup, so that they can “commit” themselves to the Commonwealth Games.

AITA secretary general Anil Khanna, who a day before had denied reports of any revolt by the players, Friday admitted they had indeed written to him and hoped the issue will be resolved within a week’s time.

“We have been bringing the issue to the government’s notice for a long time. We also reminded the sports minister when he came to AITA on July 11 to support the elite players. But because of government’s rules and audit procedures, we have not been able to meet with success,” Khanna added.

“The government is now siezed of the matter and we hope it will be sympathetic to the players and will find a solution. We have fantastic players who have always put the country before themselves. I am sure all our players will play for the Commonwealth Games and the Davis Cup,” he said.

As per the government scheme for the Games, each player is entitled to $115 per day (including boarding and lodging) for 75 days a year.

AITA has asked to increase allowance to 180-280 days in a year. The sports ministry, however, refused to accede to AITA’s proposal, saying they are “working under a scheme and cannot change the rules for tennis players”.

Sports ministry joint secretary Rahul Bhatnagar told IANS that AITA failed to produce the basic documents needed to reimburse the bills, causing the delay.

“We understand that players are very busy since they are constantly travelling on the circuit, but we need some basic documentation like hotel bills and flight tickets to reimburse the amount. The AITA asked us to pay a lump some amount, which is not possible,” he said.

“Since AITA will now be submitting the players’ bills on Monday, we will ask our finance department to process the bills. The rest of the tennis players have been submitting their bills and getting the amount. We have been paying the money to 800 players from 17 disciplines, why would we have problem paying to the top tennis players? We will be more than happy to pay the amount,” Bhatnagar added.