Travelling officials must know rules and policies of global sporting events: Rathore to IOA

Sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has asked the Indian Olympic Association to ensure that officials, with prior knowledge of rules and regulations, only accompany contingents to multi-disciplinary meets in the future.

Rathore said that in the wake of the “SyringeGate” controversy, where the Indian contingent violated the Commonwealth Games Federation’s No Needles Policy, the officials travelling with the team must be better equipped with the event’s policies, including that of accommodation at the Games’ village.

The 2004 Olympic silver medallist told the Times of India that the ministry were working with IOA officials with the contingent to ensure that preparations for the Games was back on track, amidst the events that have side-tracked focus from the actual on-field action.

Rathore said, “The IOA should take the right people along who are well versed with the rules governing the conduct of the Games. This controversy could have been avoided. The IOA should ensure that the accompanying officials have the knowledge of rules while finalising the contingent in future.”

The doctor who had accompanied the boxing contingent, was found to have flouted the Games’ “no-needle policy” and was reprimanded for breach of protocol.

A doctor with the contingent, Amol Patil had administered a vitamin B complex injection to an unwell athlete. “Under the No Needle Policy, needles are required to be stored in a central secured location, access to which is restricted to authorized medical personnel of the CGA delegation. The needles in question were not disposed of until he had made two trips to the Polyclinic,” the CGF said in a statement.

Earlier, Saina Nehwal had threatened to pull out of the Commonwealth Games if her father Harvir Singh was not given the necessary accreditation to enter and stay at the Games village. He was later cleared after the IOA had tweeted that the problem had been solved.

Weightlifting chief physio Akrant Saxena had also been reportedly asked to leave the village after being listed as a ‘personal coach’ to world champion Mirabai Chanu. In what was a case perceived as a clerical error, the physio has now been lodged outside the village and will not be available to the players at the time of competitions. “We will make sure that our lifters don’t suffer,” said Rathore in response to this.