Indian preparations for Winter Olympics hit roadblock as sports ministry fails to release funds

Sochi Winter Olympics

The Sochi-bound Indian athletes are severely under-prepared for competing in the Winter Olympics as they are yet to receive the required gear because of lack of funds. According to the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI), the Indian Sports Ministry is yet to sanction the amount of Rs. 40 lakh for the campaign, which is the estimated expenditure of equipment and travel.

“We are yet to order equipment for the skiers to participate. We require things like protectors for the back, elbow and head for the Olympics as specified by the IOC and all of them have to be of specific measurements. For example, the ski has to be 195 centimetres in length and radius has to be 35 metres. Anything else will be disqualified,” WGFI secretary Roshal Lal Thakur said.

The Winter Olympics are scheduled to commence on February 7, approximately three weeks from now. Five-time Olympian Shiva Keshavan, Alpine skier Himanshu Thakur and cross-country skier Nadeem Iqbal are the three Indians selected to represent the country in the skiing event.

The secretary went on to say that it takes close to 10 days to import all the necessary equipment, which would leave the athletes very little time to practice and get accustomed to their new kits.

“We don’t get the Olympic standard equipment here and it will take at least 10 days to import them, provided we make the payment on time. The athletes need some time to practice with the new equipment before they leave. I have asked for a partial payment for the equipment from the Sports Ministry but that too is being processed,” he said.

Thakur also added that if the suspended Indian Olympic Association was still functioning, the process would have been completed faster.

“The problem is that the IOA is not working. That’s why there has been a delay in processing the funds,” he said.