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India seeks to host more global meets
At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has made it tough for National Sports Federations (NSFs) to host international events, the sports ministry has promised an
At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has made it tough for National Sports Federations (NSFs) to host international events, the sports ministry has promised an increased financial assistance for bringing in international tournaments in India.
The ministry during its meeting with NSFs last week directed them to host more tournaments in India to prepare for 2024 and 2028 Olympics. The NSFs have been asked to include international tournaments they plan to host in their Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC). The federations have been pushing for more financial support from the government in hosting international events for some time now.
Currently NSFs get financial assistance of Rs 30 lakh for hosting major international competitions. In case of tour-level and invitational event the assistance is somewhere between Rs 10-Rs15 lakh. The amount is likely to go up significantly as the ministry is looking to earmark a big chunk of its ACTC budget for international events.
Sports secretary Radhey Shyam Julaniya said the government is “consistent in its stand of hosting more international events in India”.
“The funding is for international events. We want more and more events in India for better exposure. The same amount which goes for Indian athletes exposure outside, larger number of athletes will benefit from the same amount in India,” Julaniya told Hindustan Times.
“We had discussions with the 14 priority sports (federations) identified for 2024 and 2028 Olympics. We have asked NSFs what are the events they plan to host in India. We will provide (financial help) whatever is justified. Things will be finalised in ACTC meeting,” he added.
The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has plans to bid for 2024 World Team Championships which will cost around Rs 20 crore. “Hosting a tournament will be difficult under the circumstances. However we will go for it (bid). The government has taken a positive step. Earlier government funding was limited but now we have been assured that more assistance will be provided and it is good that it will be cleared under ACTC,” said TTFI secretary general MP Singh.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI), which has submitted expression of interest to host Asian Championships towards the end of this year, is also welcomed the move. “It will be a big boost towards hosting the Asian elite men’s and women’s championships. Also, it will encourage us to host more events in India. In the India Open that we host every year, we are fielding four to five Indian teams and provide exposure to so many of our boxers,” said BFI executive director RK Sacheti.
