Kalmadi wants to revive AAG; not now says Bharti

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, NOV. 6. The imminent tour of the England cricket team has provided new hope to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which wants to revive the Afro-Asian Games. The Government, however, is not impressed.

At the Executive Board meeting of the Afro-Asian Games Organising Committee (AAGOC) on Tuesday, the IOA President, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, once again proposed that the Games be held from March 24 to April 2. The Games were originally scheduled to be held from November 3 to 11.

The latest proposal is only a reiteration of an earlier proposal following which the Union Government had made its stand known that the Games were to be postponed indefinitely in view of the security scenario in the region following the terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Reacting to the proposal, the Sports Minister, Ms. Uma Bharti, said there was no drastic change in the situation now and when the Games were postponed. ``The Games were postponed on the suggestion of the Cabinet Committee on Security. As and when the situation improves we will notify (the IOA),'' Ms. Bharti said.

The IOA, on the other hand, has gone ahead with the idea of holding the Games in March-April and suggesting to Islamabad to advance the dates for the SAF Games. The revised dates for the SAF Games (March 28 to April 8) were clashing with the proposed dates for the Afro-Asian Games.

``The England team is coming to India, the SAF Games are to be held. Then why not conduct the Afro-Asian Games,'' queried Mr. Kalmadi.

The Executive Board meeting also approved the expenditure incurred so far in the preparations for the Afro- Asian Games. Ms. Bharti said that Rs 5,11,31,712 was spent by the AAGOC till the Games were postponed. The figure does not include the cost of renovation of the 10 venues.

Giving details of the costs, Ms. Bharti said Rs. 3 crores, given as advance to the ITDC for arranging accommodation, would be recovered. An advance of Rs. 30 lakhs given to the CMC, a computer firm, had been asked to be refunded. The actual expenditure so far had been approximately Rs. 1.46 crore, Ms. Bharti claimed.

The main expenditure relating to the Afro-Asian Games meetings had been Rs. 33.85 lakhs towards the two-day meeting of the Afro- Asian Games Council where 23 delegates from Asia and Africa attended and Rs. 12 lakhs towards the AAGOC meetings. A total of Rs 20 lakhs had so far been spent on engaging personnel for the various works related to the Games.

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