Barring Kosovo might deprive India of big events: IOA chief Batra

NEW DELHI : Kosovo’s participation in the women’s World Championships remained doubtful with their lone boxer, Donjeta Sadiku, still not granted visa for the event starting on Thursday.

While Boxing Federation of India officials put the onus on the government, Indian Olympic Association said if the Kosovo boxer is not allowed to participate, India may lose future international competitions.

India does not recognise Kosovo --- a disputed territory in the erstwhile Yugoslavia.

IOA president Narinder Batra said International Olympic Council (IOC) is preparing to send a letter to all international federations, advising them not to give international competitions to India if the Kosovo issue is not resolved.

The IOC had earlier asked international federations to not award events to Spain unless it guarantees Kosovo’s participation.

“The IOC is not going to have different rules for India and Spain. We have written to the sports ministry giving all the facts. India might face a ban … Sports and bilateral ties should not be mixed.”

BFI president Ajay Singh said: “We’re still talking to the Ministry of External Affairs. It’s a sensitive issue … it’s a larger external affairs issue, and it is not only an India issue. It is a global issue and there needs to be a dialogue between all sides to find a solution. This is not about boxing alone; it’s a much larger issue.”

Singh doesn’t think India will be penalised over the issue.

“Many countries actually don’t recognise Kososvo. So, we have to find a solution between IOC and all these countries because this includes lot of western nations, South-east Asian nations.

“It’s not something that as Boxing Federation of India we should be commenting on. From our perspective of course we want to follow IOC and AIBA guidelines. Ultimately, the decision whether or not to grant visa is really a sovereign issue.”