Sports Ministry approves 325-member Commonwealth Games contingent

The contingent has 58 coaches, 7 managers, 17 doctors and physiotherapists and 22 other officials (104 non-athletes in all). Not all the officials are, however, going to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on government cost. 

The government will bear the cost of only 54 coaches, 16 doctors and physiotherapists and 19 other officials (89 in all), besides the 221 athletes. P V Sindhu’s mother Vijaya Pusarla and Saina Nehwal’s father Harvir Singh are among the 15 officials/non-athletes who have been cleared on no cost to government. They have not been given any designation in the list issued by the ministry. 

The seven managers have also been cleared at no cost to the government and the federations will have to spend for them from their own pockets. The number of athletes will, however, be reduced to 219 as long jumper M Sreeshankar has been ruled out due to a surgery to remove appendix and paddler Soumyajit Ghosh has been provisionally suspended by his federation after an 18-year-old woman levelled allegations of rape against him.

The IOA had included Arun Mendiratta as the chief medical officer of the contingent and Hema Valecha as one of the physiotherapists but the duo’s names have been struck off by the government. Otherwise, the government cleared all the officials submitted by the IOA who had said that the extra officials beyond the 33 per cent of the number of athletes will go on the cost of federations. 

Earlier, there was a speculation that the ministry would strictly follow the 33 per cent of athletes’ rule while clearing the officials even if they were to go at no cost to the government. But the ministry in the end decided not to tinker much with the list sent by the IOA except that the government chopped off the chief medical officer’s name and that of the physiotherapist.