New Delhi: The payment row which prompted
top tennis players to issue a Commonwealth Games boycott
threat is expected to take another fortnight to resolve as the
Sports Ministry on Monday sought more details of the expenses from
the All India Tennis Association to release the money.
AITA Secretary General Anil Khanna and Chairman of the
CWG preparations program Jaideep Mukherjea along with other
officials today met Rahul Bhatnagar, Joint Secretary
(International Sports Division) of the Sports Ministry and
discussed the long-pending issue.
Bhatnagar said AITA has provided some data but they need
more details about the expenses of all the five players --
Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna
and Sania Mirza.
"At least we had something to start with today. We have
got some details but we need more details from AITA which they
say they will give by this evening or tomorrow morning,"
Bhatnagar told reporters.
On being asked what those details were, Bhatnagar said,
"They have given us the details about the number of
tournaments participated by the players in the last two years
but we need a certificate which says that their air-fare and
hotel stay was not on sponsorship money or from Organisers
fund."
"AITA says it has not received all the bills from the
players but hopefully they`ll find out a way."
The men`s team had threatened to pull out of the Games if
their dues were not cleared. However, they confirmed their
participation after being assured that the matter would be
resolved.
Meanwhile, AITA issued a statement claiming that all the
issues have been resolved.
"All payment issues regarding elite players have been
resolved and with minimum documentation and the ministry has
agreed to process the papers at the earliest so that elite
players can receive their dues under the CWG preparations
within two-three weeks," a statement by Mukherjea said.
Bhatnagar said if AITA submits all details in time, money
can be released in another 15 days.
The ministry official said final entitlement of each
player can be known only after they have all the documents
with them.
He said the government will pay economy class air-fare as
per the Balmer Lawrie rates.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.