It's war!
Never mind all that talk, in recent weeks, of a possible patch up between the Badminton Association of India and the breakaway Indian Badminton Confederation - as things stand now, the two bodies are poised on the verge of full-scale war.
The BAI would appear, on paper, to have the benefit of early exchanges, with the Asian Badminton Confederation unanimously recognising BAI as the only constitutional body
governing the sport in India.
However the BAI, which attempted to 'teach a lesson' to the rebel IBC by withholding the entries of national champion Gopichand and Aparna Popat for the forthcoming European Circuit, have been sternly told by the International Badminton Federation to push the papers through at the earliest - which in turn is a victory, of sorts, for the IBC.
To take the developments in order: At its annual general meeting held in Kuala Lumpur recently, the ABC made it clear that participation in international
tournaments, open and satellite events will only be through the BAI. No parallel body will have any locus standi, the ABC clarified.
At the same time, BAI chief V K Verma was elected to the executive council and
named chairman of the awards committee of the ABC. Verma - against whom IBC chief Prakash Padukone is now locked in conflict - has also been elected director for the mid-Asia region, and will thus be one of four directors reporting directly to new ABC president Koon, who is incidentally Thailand's deputy prime minister.
At the meeting, India along with the Philipines have been accepted as the two premier training centres
for players, coaches and officials in the Asian continent.
Verma announced among other things that International Managment Group and the sportswear company Yonex will not only sponsor the Indian Open, but
also be the main promoters of the domestic circuit run by the
BAI. These two companies have agreed to pump in large amounts of
prize money into the domestic circuit, it is learnt.
Verma also released the letter he had written to Prakash
Padukone, in which he had offered the former All England champion the excecutive presidentship of the BAI. This, Verma clarified, was being done to "nail the lie that we have not given
anything in black and white to Prakash.''
Meanwhile, the Gopichand-Popat issue took a fresh turn following the intervention of the IBF.
The BAI, despite assurances given to IBF vice president Punch Gunalan that players showing allegiance to Padukone's breakaway IBC would not be discriminated against, has thus far refrained from forwarding the entries of the two players.
IBF executive director David Shaw, in a faxed message, has referred to the controversy and remarked, "I really do hope that... all Indian
players will continue to have the opportunity to play in major
tournaments, irrespective of any perceived allegiance to the
'Padukone/Kumar' camps. I also hope that the differences will be settled amicably, and quickly, for the sake of the game and of the players concerned."
The BAI, however, seems in no mood to head such warnings. Thus, a BAI official release warns players against taking part in tournaments
run by the Padukone-led IBC, warning clearly that players doing so would be barred from international meets.
"The BAI does not recognise the IBC, tournaments run by
it are illegal, and BAI will not tolerate players
breaking discipline by taking part in it,'' the release, signed by BAI chief V K Verma, says.
Talking to the media, Verma said, ''Enough is
enough! We are not going to take it laying down, somewhere the line has
to be drawn.''
Verma further warned players representing the public sectors
like Railways, Air India and such that their jobs were the result of BAI recommendations, and any sign that they go against the BAI could cost them their employment."
After September 16, when the 45-day grace period ends,any
player taking part in IBC-run tournaments will be banned from
taking part in any international competitions, Verma warned.
Verma also repeated his offer to Prakash, to take over as executive president of the BAI. ''This is the offer I had made on
behalf of the BAI ,and i still stand by that,'' Verma said.
UNI
|
