Strict CT accreditation rules defended

New Delhi, Oct 16 (UNI) Drawing flak from certain quarters for the accreditation arrangements for the Champions Trophy, Rushman, the agency in question, today justified the rather stringent process, claiming the situation demanded so.

In a statement from its Monaco headquarters, Managing Director Nigel Rushman said they had to restrict access to the dressing room, following the ICC guidelines.

''The ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit have a policy of restricting access to the dressing room areas and Rushmans is instructed to issue passes according to this policy. As the vast majority of officials are not permitted to be in these areas, access is limited accordingly,'' he explained.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah was also unhappy with the agency and suggested that the International Cricket Council had been at fault for contracting Rushmans to handle accreditation for officials.

''The role of accreditation is to ensure that those needing access to secure areas at an event - whether they are competitors, journalists, officials, VIPs or contractors - have the access they require to undertake their tasks. By the same token, it is also necessary for practical, safety and security reasons, to restrict access to certain areas.

''The ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit have a policy of restricting access to the dressing room areas and Rushmans is instructed to issue passes according to this policy. As the vast majority of officials are not permitted to be in these areas, access is limited accordingly,'' Mr Rushman elaborated.

''At a time of heightened awareness of security issues around the world I am sure we would all agree that this is more important than ever. Equally, against this background, I am sure that people will understand that it would be foolhardy and impractical to weaken the accreditation procedure by splitting it,'' he added.

Pointing out to Rushman's impressive list of assignments, he said, ''Rushmans is proud to have been contracted by the ICC to provide accreditation services for the Champions Trophy. It continues a long-standing relationship which has seen us provide accreditation for cricket events around the world including ICC Cricket World Cups in South Africa and England and two previous Champions Trophy tournaments in England and Sri Lanka. We are also responsible for accreditation and other services at next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.'' ''Our appointment by the ICC was based on our proven ability to deliver the best possible service at events around the World. We have worked on over 500 events in more than 30 countries. Our projects have included three IRB Rugby World Cups, the UEFA Euro 96 Soccer Championships, as well as many other sporting and non-sporting events, where effective accreditation is of paramount importance to security and event management,'' he added.

''A multi-venue international event such as the ICC Champions Trophy or World Cup presents a different set of accreditation criteria from those usually faced by a Board more accustomed to dealing with bi-lateral tours in which the same basic parties of players, officials and media travel from venue to venue. By their very nature these events are significantly less complex and the security requirements less onerous.

''Despite the complexities of the current operation, involving four venues over a limited time period, and despite many, many late requests for accreditation, Rushmans staff are acquitting themselves outstandingly well on the ground in India and the ICC has received much positive feedback from journalists, both local and international. It should be noted that the service being provided is at a significantly smaller cost than the one quoted by Mr Shah in the Indian media,'' he said.

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