Indian contingent unaware of Taranenko, Sandhu sacking

Indian officials in Athens for the Olympic Games are not aware of the sacking of weightlifting coaches Pal Singh Sandhu and Leonid Taranenko.

Indian officials in Athens for the Olympic Games are not aware of the sacking of weightlifting coaches Pal Singh Sandhu and Leonid Taranenko, who were earlier on Tuesday removed by Sports Minister Sunil Dutt.

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Sandhu and Taranenko of Belarus were sacked by Dutt following the positive dope tests of two lifters and their generally poor performance at the games.

Indian officials said the two coaches are still here. But, they added, if and when the official news of their sacking is received, they would be packed off.

Earlier, Dutt took a rare suo motu decision in India.

"In a suo motu decision, Sunil Dutt sacked both weightlifting coaches Pal Singh Sandhu and Leonid Taranenko on Tuesday in view of India's poor performance at Athens and the doping scandal," Sports Ministry sources had told IANS in New Delhi.

Four women weightlifters — Karnam Malleswari (63 kg), Kunjarani Devi (48 kg), Sanamacha Chanu (53 kg) and Pratima Kumari (63 kg) — had qualified for the Aug 13-29 Olympics and all of them except Kunjarani had disgraced themselves.

While Pratima and Chanu tested positive for banned drugs, Kunjarani finished fourth and Malleswari did not lift at all, citing a back injury.

"The Government has lost confidence in both coaches in view of the doping incidents at Athens," said the source.

The minister did not call any meeting and took the decision on his own, added the source.