No official VIP team from UP to attend Glasgow Games
LUCKNOW: Unlike in the past, Uttar Pradesh athletes won’t have ‘VIPs’ from their state to cheer them from the stands at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games (July 23-August 3).
The Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association (UPOA) has reportedly shelved its plan to take a host of VIPs to Scotland this time after many of them ‘refused’ to join the party.
“Yes, this time there will be no official team of VIPs at the Games to cheer the UP athletes,” UPOA secretary-general Anandeshwar Pandey told HT on Friday, adding, “But, we hope to see our athletes doing well at the Games.” Pandey will be at the Glasgow Games on behalf of the Hockey India as he is a member of its executive body.
There were 10 ‘VIPs’ from UP at the 2012 London Olympics. Though there was no official count of the bigwigs at the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) at New Delhi, a large number of them were there.
Badminton Association of India chief Akhilesh Das will be the second official from the state to attend the Games. Uttar Pradesh Athletics Association secretary PK Srivastava has been named manager of the Indian athletics squad and UP Table Tennis Association secretary Arun Banerjee will be there as manager of the Indian women’s table tennis team. Munawar Anzar, the UP Judo Association secretary, will officiate as a referee at the Games.
Among sportspersons, Asian Games gold medallist steeplechaser Sudha Singh will be conspicuous by her absence. She was ruled out for the event after she sustained an injury during the qualifying tournament here last month. But, she is sure to defend her title at the Incheon Asian Games in South Korea, starting September 19.
All eyes would be on three weightlifters of the SAI SubCentre here —Swati Singh, Poonam Yadav and Vandana Gupta.
Besides, UP’s hopes will also rest on Danish Mujtaba (men’s hockey), Vandana Kataria (women’s hockey), Chandrodaya Narain Singh, Annu Rani (both athletics) and Ashish Kumar (gymnastics) at the Games in Scotland.