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Hockey India threatens CWG pull out
India has threatened to pull-out from the men’s hockey competition of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games after one of its players, Harbir Singh Sandhu, was denied visa and accreditation for the mega-event.
According to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the defender’s visa application was rejected twice this month after background checks conducted by the UK home office did not clear the player. Hockey India then shot off a letter to the IOA on Saturday, asking them to withdraw the team from the event if the player is not granted accreditation.
The IOA said they will take up the issue with the organizing committee on Monday. “It’s rare that a player is denied visa, especially for an event like the CWG. We have tried to find out the reasons from the organisers but haven’t been successful yet. They have told us there was some problem in his background check, without elaborating much. We will re-apply for the visa soon and hope the issue is sorted out,” IOA secretary general Rajiv Mehta said.
The Glasgow CWG is scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 3 this year. The Indian team had finished second on the podium at the Delhi CWG, which was its best-ever performance at the quadrennial event.
Harbir, 23, has been one of the national team regulars in the last year and a half. After a string of impressive performances with the junior team, he was selected for the 2012 Champions Trophy held in Australia. Since then, he has represented India in several major tournaments including the Asia Cup in Malaysia and the World League Round 3 in Holland last year.
The defender, who is currently undergoing a rehab programme after picking up an injury, was unaware of the development. Batra said there was no guarantee that Harbir would be a part of the final squad for the Glasgow Games.
Unaware of IOA position
The matter came to light after Commonwealth Games Associations Relations Manager Robert Vergouw wrote a letter to IOA president N Ramachandran and Mehta on March 10, informing them about the refusal of accreditation to Harbir. When contacted, Vergouw said he was unaware of India’s threat to withdraw the team and insisted he was not in a position to reveal further details.
“The home office runs background checks on the applicants and in this case, the reasons were more substantial than lack of proper identification. Only the home office can explain what they mean by saying background check, that is something I am not aware of,” Vergouw said.
Batra, meanwhile, was critical of the IOA’s role in handling the issue, accusing them of acting like ‘postmen’. “The IOA is just relaying information without acting on it. Ideally, in events like the CWG, the IOA should send an undertaking to the organisers taking full responsibility for the players. That hasn’t happened this time,” Batra said. “Hockey India’s executive board will meet on March 29 and we will take a final call on the pull-out then.”
