India returns to compete in sepaktakraw, fencing in Asian Games

Doha, Nov 25 (UNI) After the Sports Ministry pruned the number of disciplines and refused to bear the cost of athletes who are likely to end up also-rans, the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC) reinstated the Indian sepaktakraw and fencing teams following a request from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

In a written statement, the Olympic Council of Asia and DAGOC advised that a request from the IOA to re-enter its men's and women's sepaktakraw along with a four-member women's fencing team had been accepted.

India is scheduled to take on Malaysia in sepaktakraw on December 2 and the fencing competition is scheduled to begin on December 9.

Earlier, Sports Ministry and IOA were at the loggerheads over the number of athletes in the contingent.

In a bid to exclude the probable also-rans from the contingent, the Sports Ministry had cut down the number of disciplines to 24, out of the 32 recommended by the IOA.

The Sports Ministry cut down the squad to 387 from the original 589 proposed by the IOA, striking down football, basketball, handball, sepaktakraw, triathlon, ten-pin bowling, rugby sevens and fencing teams.

Interestingly, the football team is already on its way to Doha.

''Shocked'' at the Sports Ministry's decision, IOA President Suresh Kalmadi has already announced that IOA would foot the bill for athletes who fail to find the ministry's favour.

''We have requested the government to include more disciplines for the Doha Asian Games as it is of utmost importance that our sportspersons get a lot of international exposure before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi,'' Mr Kalmadi told reporters in Delhi earlier this week.

''In case the government does not fund the sportspersons belonging to the axed disciplines like Football and Rugby, we will pay for them,'' he asserted.

UNI XC AY PM KP1315