Skier from HP stopped at Frankfurt, seeks PM’S help
HIMANSHU IS BROTHER OF AANCHAL THAKUR WHO RECENTLY BROUGHT LAURELS TO THE COUNTRY; HE HAD TO PARTICIPATE IN A RACE IN ICELAND BUT IT WAS CANCELLED DUE TO BAD WEATHER; HE NOW HAS TO PARTICIPATE IN A RACE IN TEHRAN
SHIMLA : Himanshu Thakur, an alpine skier from Kullu in Himachal Pradesh who represents India at international competitions, has sought help from the central government to help him reach Iran where he is supposed to participate in a qualifying race for the winter Olympics scheduled later this year.
The race is to be held on Monday in Tehran. Iran has agreed to issue him a VISA but has asked him to visit its embassy in New Delhi. He was travelling from Iceland to Tehran on Sunday and was stopped by officials at the Frankfurt airport in Germany.
Thakur was supposed to participate in a race in Iceland but the race was cancelled. The Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI) had applied for his VISA to travel to Iran so that Thakur could participate in the race on Monday.
His father, Roshan Thakur, said, “We have received the principal approval and reference number. However, officials in Iran have asked my son to visit its embassy in New Delhi. Since the race is to be held on Monday, it is difficult for him to visit the Iranian embassy in New Delhi.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Himanshu sought help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, and Union sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
“I request @Sushmaswaraj Swaraj, external affairs minister, @RA_THORE Rathore, sports minister and @narendramodi hon’ble prime minister to kindly help me. I want to race in Iran to qualify for winter Olympics but host country is denying visa on arrival,” he wrote on Twitter.
Responding to the development, Union sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore wrote on Twitter that his ministry is in touch with the external affairs ministry to get the issue resolved.
So far, Thakur has qualified in four races and needs to qualify one more to make a cut for the winter Olympics that will be held in February in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Himanshu is the brother of Aanchal Thakur who recently became the first Indian female alpine skier to win an international medal. She too has appealed to the Centre.
In a tweet, she wrote: “My brother Himanshu Thakur has tomorrow last chance to qualify for Winter Olympics 2018. I kindly request hon’ble PM @narendramodi, foreign minister @Sushmaswaraj, sports minister @Ra_thore,chief minister HP. @jairamthakurbjp to help him in granting arrival visa in Tehran,iran. (sic)”