New Zealand slams Mani Shankar Aiyar for CWG fund

New Delhi, Jul 28: New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) told that it had accepted the payment from India during the Commonwealth Games bid, but it was not bribe.

NZOC told that the fund is used to contribute to the expense of preparing and sending a team to the Commonwealth Games.

On Tuesday, Jul 27 member of Rajya Sabha and former sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar blamed the Commonwealth Games organising committee for giving 100,000 dollars to all participating countries.

Mani Shankar Aiyar also claimed that India had paid bribes to other countries to win the right to host the Commonwealth Games 2010.

NZOC has rejected the allegation by Aiyar by stating that Aiyar was misinformed.

"The funds referred to are preparation grants that have been officially sanctioned by the Commonwealth Games Federation as part of Commonwealth Games bids for both the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games," said Ashley Abbott, NZOC communications Manager in a statement.

"These preparation grants are provided to all Commonwealth Games nations on application. Each of the potential host cities for the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games included a preparation grant as part of their bid proposals," the statement added.

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