India was hopeful to host the Asian Games, 2014 but the majority in 45-member General Assembly decided South Korea’s Incheon city as the host city for Asiad 2014. Now, the usual blame game has been started among people in the Indian delegation, who had gone to Kuwait for the bid.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi has openly blamed Union sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar for the setback came to India. He told Indiatimes that that the sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar is completely against the Olympic committee. He ignores the Cabinet as well.

Kalmadi told that Aiyyar was openly championing the cause of Incheon and Prime Minister should look into it. Some of the young MPs have reacted on his behavior by saying that it was a shame and the matter should place before PM.

The IOA had earlier arranged a lunch to all 44 ambassadors in Delhi. The foreign minister and chief minister of Delhi came, but Aiyyar did not come. The Koreans openly distributed among the delegates the derogatory statements made by him about the Asian Games at the CII meet.

Everybody thought that the government was not supporting the bid despite of the fact that we went to the whole of Asia and canvassed vigorously.

Kalmadi said further that Aiyyar has definitely sabotaged India’s bid for Asiad 2014. the sports ministry provided us only Rs 2 crore while the Koreans spent $20 million. Even Sheila Dikshit gave the IOA Rs 5 crore but sports minister refused to give us any more money.

The Korean sports minister was meeting each and everybody in Kuwait assuring everybody about the Korean government support behind the bid. He also said on several occasion that where’s the Indian sports minister. It gives the general impression that the government was not supporting us. That’s one of the main reasons we lost.

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