New Delhi, April 22
Taking a cue from the
International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the government on Wednesday
suspended the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for gross negligence
and poor management of the 15th National Para Athletics Championships in
Ghaziabad last month.
An official statement, issued here, said
the sports ministry also asked the IPC to form an ad-hoc committee to
work in place of PCI till a federation is granted recognition.
The
IPC, on April 15, had suspended the PCI on the same charges, following
which the sports ministry issued a show-cause notice to PCI, asking why
should it not be derecognised.
"In a communication sent to the
PCI, the ministry has said that the decision has been taken in the wake
of numerous serious complaints about poor management of the 15th
National Para Athletics Championships held from March 20-22 in Ghaziabad
in all aspects viz., logistics, technical, administrative, etc.," said
the statement.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) had conducted
an inquiry into the management of the competition and submitted its
report to the ministry, who then asked the PCI on why should it not be
suspended. The inquiry found that the complaints against it were largely
well-founded.
"The government of India is of the view that PCI
has violated the terms and conditions of recognition as well as
provisions of its own constitution," said the statement.
"The
government has further noted that PCI has not been functioning in the
best interest of para sport for which it was granted recognition as
there has been large-scale dissatisfaction among players and other
stakeholder, thus resulting in adverse impact on both the development of
the sport as well as future opportunities and prospects of
para-athletes in the country."
The ministry has written a letter
IPC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Xavier Gonzalez requesting for an ad
hoc body, keeping in mind the smooth functioning of the Paralympic
movement in India so that athletes are not affected.
In the
meantime, IPC may authorise the ministry to form an interim body and may
ask SAI to send entries of the para athletes for IPC sanctioned
tournaments.
IPC's April 15 suspension of PCI meant that Indian
athletes are barred from taking part in IPC sanctioned competitions,
including next year's Paralympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.
The PCI
was recognised by the Indian government in November 2011 as an NSF for
promotion of sports amongst the physically challenged sportspersons of
the country. The IPC has suspended PCI for an indefinite period.
