Commonwealth Games shocker: No baton relay in India?
With the 2014 Commonwealth Games organising committee allotting October 13 as the date for baton relay in India, the suspended Indian Olympic Association has refused citing Dussehra celebrations. Meanwhile IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra has written to the CWG organisers and is awaiting a response.
Acting president of the suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA), VK Malhotra, has written to organisers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow that India can't host the Delhi leg of the baton relay.
The baton relay date given by the organising committee of the CWG was of October 13, which clashes with Dussehra celebrations in Delhi.
Malhotra has written to the organisers asking for an alternate date if possible but there has been no reply from them as yet.
Meanwhile, a Glasgow 2014 spokesperson told sports.ndtv.com in a letter that the three-day program was developed over several months and are part of a more dynamic schedule. "This three-day programme has been developed over many months. These plans have the approval of the Commonwealth Games Federation and are part of a highly-complex Queen's Baton Relay 248-day schedule developed to engage with all 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth." Any change then seems highly unlikely.
Senior vice-president of the suspended IOA, Tarlochan Singh however was earlier critical of the way the 2014 CWG organising committee has handled the issue.
"The organising committee from United Kingdom wanted the baton relay in India on Dussehra day. It was not possible for us to organise on that day as there are celebrations everywhere. That is their fault, they should have discussed with us," said Tarlochan.
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