NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, PT Usha, praised the remarkable collaboration between the sports ministry, IOA, and national federations on Wednesday. She emphasized that this joint effort guaranteed that athletes heading to Paris received the support staff they preferred.
Usha also criticized those who overlooked this exceptional cooperation, stating, "unprecedented teamwork" between the sports ministry, IOA and the national federations ensured that Paris-bound athletes got the support staff of their choice and lashed out at critics for turning a "blind eye to such synergy".
The Sports Ministry has approved a contingent of 117 athletes and 140 support staff members for the upcoming Paris Olympics, set to commence on July 26.
A notable aspect of this decision is the nearly threefold increase in the number of support staff, which includes personal coaches, mental trainers, and physiotherapists, aimed at providing comprehensive assistance to the athletes.
Furthermore, the IOA has formed a dedicated 13-member Sports Science team, led by the esteemed sports medicine expert, Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala.
This team will accompany the Indian contingent to the Olympics, offering specialized support and expertise to enhance the athletes' performance and well-being throughout the event.
"At IOA, we have embarked on an era when athletes are at the centre of our planning and preparations. Instead of the usual 3:1 ratio between athletes and support staff, we have worked hard to change it to slightly better than 1:1 ratio," PTI quoted Usha as saying in a statement.
She revealed that a substantial contingent of 68 coaches and 50 support staff members will be traveling alongside the 117 athletes representing India at the upcoming event.
Usha also expressed her dissatisfaction with certain reports that continue to portray the efforts of the IOA in a negative light.
"Together with the sports ministry, and its units, the National Sports Federations and a good bunch of corporate partners, IOA had forged unprecedented teamwork. It is shocking that some have turned a blind eye to such synergy," she added.
Antim Panghal, an Olympic-qualified wrestler, is facing difficulties in her training due to visa delays for her four-member support staff, despite the clearance of a significant number of support personnel. The affected members include her coach Bhagat Singh, physiotherapist Heera, and sparring partner Vikas.
In response to the situation, Usha has pledged to address the visa issues for any remaining non-accredited support staff of the athletes. She intends to directly approach the Embassy of France in India to resolve the matter of Antim's support team.
Usha attributed the current confusion to the now-disbanded ad-hoc committee, suggesting that their actions have contributed to the visa delays and the resulting challenges faced by Antim and her team.
"In its wisdom the (IOA-appointed) Ad Hoc Committee, administering wrestling, chose not to include the names of Antim's coach or physiotherapist in the long list of names sent to the Olympic Games Organising Committee," said Usha.
"It is strange that the responsible authorities, who approved the long list of athletes, coaching and support staff, did not deem it fit to recommend the inclusion of Bhagat Singh or Heera or Vikas.
"It was only after Antim's father came to IOA a few days ago that I stepped in to have them cleared by the Ministry. We are confident that despite such misleading reports, IOA will be able to facilitate a speedy processing of visa requests of those coaches and support staff cleared by the Ministry," she added.
Antim also acknowledged Usha's support in a social media post.
"I am extremely thankful to IOA prez PT Usha and Shiva Keshavan for understanding my probs (problems) and writing to French Consulate. I felt humbled," she wrote.
