CWG 2018 | Saina Nehwal’s father's name added to the Indian team's official list for CWG

04/04/2018

After an angry Twitter rant by ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal yesterday, the Indian Olympic Association have added her father's name to the Indian team's official list to travel to Gold Coast. Nehwal had previously stated that she wouldn’t play her matches if her father was not with her.

The Indian Olympic Association has been in the news of late owing to various reasons that have ranged from opinion clashes with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and the whole ‘Syringegate’ incident, which has tarnished the image of the governing body. However, the IOA have managed to set things right in the case of Nehwal’s father, Mr. Harvir Singh, whose inclusion in the Indian team's official list for Gold Coast 2018 was clouded just before the tournament started.

After Nehwal’s angry rant on Twitter yesterday, where she was taken aback by the IOA’s sudden exclusion of her father’s name from the list of officials to travel to Gold Coast, the IOA has cleared Harvir Singh's CWG games village accommodation which means that he can watch Saina's matches.

"It's our duty to help the sportspersons. They should focus on winning medals. Yes, Saina had written to a senior official. But we don't want to make an issue out of it. As it is, we have solved her problem. We wouldn't like to comment on the tone and tenor of the letter," a senior IOA official told TOI.

However, the IOA had made it clear to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) that payment for an extra official did not include bed in the Games Village.

"Dear @NSaina, Mr. Harvir Singh is an accredited Extra Official! As stated in the CDM Manual of Gold Coast 2018 CWG and repeatedly conveyed to BAI, the payment for accreditation of Extra Official does not include bed in the Games Village."

Saina’s father Harvir Singh and PV Sindhu's mother Vijaya Pusarla, were among the 15 officials/non-athletes that had been cleared to travel to Gold Coast, Australia, at no expense of the sports ministry. Earlier, Saina had written a letter to a senior IOA office-bearer, currently in Gold Coast, where she was adamant that if her father's name was not cleared as "an official", she would not take part in the 2018 Commonwealth games.

"I msgd u and tried to call u but u didn't pick up the call but there is so much issue going on with my father...if his accreditation is no (sic) cleared as an official I am not going to play the matches," Saina wrote in her letter addressed to the IOA.

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