Sports Minister asked IOA to come back after meeting CGF chief: Narinder Batra
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to meet him again after talking to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief on the proposal to boycott the 2022 CWG for dropping shooting.
IOA president Narinder Batra met Rijiju on Friday along with Boxing Federation of India chief Ajay Singh.
"We discussed on the CWG 2022 participation/boycott issue. Hon'ble minister heard up patiently and asked us to meet with the president of CGF who has offered to come to India to meet with the president and secretary general of the IOA and then have another meeting with the hon'ble minister with the outcome," Batra said.
In protest against the exclusion of shooting, the IOA had proposed a boycott of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and sought the government's approval.
In its Executive Board meeting in June, the CGF left out shooting from the 2022 Birmingham Games while recommending the inclusion of three new sports. The sport has featured in every Commonwealth Games since 1966 with the exception of Edinburgh 1970.
The CGF, on its part, had said it would want India to participate wholeheartedly in 2022 and look forward to meeting the IOA officials regarding the issue over the coming months.
The CGF had taken the position that it was the host nation's prerogative to decide the fate of shooting, which has always been an optional sport in the CWG.
