The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has come up with a response to Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal's outburst at Commonwealth Games officials. She was furious after her father was denied entry into the Games Village at Gold Coast, Australia.
Replying to Saina's post on Twitter, the official handle of IOA said that the shuttler's father, Harvir Singh, was cleared as an 'extra official' and payment does not include accommodation for him in the Games Village.
It also clarified that the guideline in question is available as part of CWG's Chefs de Mission manual and that it was also conveyed to Badminton Association of India (BAI). The IOA also attached a snapshot of the manual with the tweet.
"Dear @NSaina , Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village (sic)," the IOA wrote on Twitter.
Dear @NSaina , Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village. @Abhinav_Bindra @kannandelhi pic.twitter.com/Nl00WxS685
— IOA - Team India (@ioaindia) April 3, 2018
Beijing Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra also responded to Saina, saying: "Am sure as a member of the @olympics Athletes committee you are well aware of accreditation protocols. Wishing you all the best for the CWG."
Saina left fuming!
Saina was left fuming Monday as she expressed her disappointment with a series of tweets. She claimed that she had paid the whole amount for her father's trip to Gold Coast and questioned why she was not informed in advance about the denial of access to the Games Village.
"Surprise to see that when we started from India for commonwealth games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the games village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can't even stay with me (sic)," Saina wrote.
He can’t c my matches and he can’t enter the village nor he can meet me in anyway .. what kind of support is this ..@thecgf
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 2, 2018
I wanted his support as I regularly take him for my competitions ...but i didn’t understand why nobody informed me all this earlier .. that he can’t enter anywhere #CommonwealthGames2018
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 2, 2018
Sindhu, Saina's parents deny using taxpayers' money for CWG trip
Notably, the IOA had included the names of Saina's father and PV Sindhu's mother Vijaya Pusarla as part of the Indian contingent as extra officials. The sports ministry reportedly cleared their names for the trip at no cost to the government.
Earlier in March, Saina and Sindhu's parents were forced to deny they were using taxpayers' money for their trip to Gold Coast after the sports ministry reportedly struck down the names of extra officials from the Indian contingent.
IOA president Narinder Batra had reportedly criticised the sports ministry's move and urged sports minister Rajyavardhan Rathore to clear the extra officials.
Sindhu's father PV Ramana said the "false news" of them traveling Gold Coast on the government's expense hurt him while Harvir insisted he was traveling on his own to watch her daughter in action at the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games.
"I am going on my own. I know a professor at Gold Coast. So I will go to watch the Games as a spectator and I am not part of the contingent," Harvir had said.
"Even when I went to Rio Games, I stayed in rented accommodation. So, I don't know where these reports are coming. It is unfortunate."
Saina, the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion, and Sindhu, the 2014 bronze medalist, are among the favorites to secure podium finishes in the upcoming edition, starting March 4.
