Visa issues threaten Indian cycling event after Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan denied clearance for Asian meet
As many as three nations are yet to get the visa clearance to participate in the Hero Asian Cycling Championship with just two days left for the tournament.
Teams from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are still to arrive for the competition scheduled from March 7-17.
With the tournament being a qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the tension of Cycling Federation of India has only increased. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has already communicated its displeasure on the issue to the CFI.
The international body has also made it clear that if a sport powerhouse like Iran does not get to compete then India might not get to host cycling events in the future.
"India is hosting a cycling tournament of this stature after eight years and it's disappointing that the three countries are yet to receive visa clearance, though the procedure was initiated on time," Parminder Singh Dhindsa, chairman of CFI, said.
"It's already too late as we had sent the details to the ministry on 16th February. Iran is a powerhouse in cycling and if they can't participate then it's surely going to take away some sheen off the championship."
"We have written to the home ministry and the prime minister too but nothing fruitful has happened. We had earlier faced problems for visas of the Chinese contingent too but it was sorted out," he said. The top official also added that they are in touch with the government.
"Till now, nothing positive has happened. Iran has informed that if the visas are not ready by Monday night then they won't be sending their team," Dhindsa said.
"The UCI and the Asian Cycling Confederation are bit annoyed with the situation and have indicated that India might be ineligible to get international tournaments in the future," Dhindsa said.
Among the prominent Iranian cyclists who are supposed to come is Mehdi Sohrabi, who won the Asian Championships in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
Barring the three, 26 countries have confirmed their participation in the March 7-17 event including the para, track and road events. Both the senior and junior championships will be held simultaneously.
India have the second largest contingent with 64 members after Kazakhstan (67). Coach Amar Singh said the team is bound to reap benefit from the hard work the cyclists have put on in training in the last eight months.
"We have been preparing in the Capital for the last eight months during which time the timing of the cyclists have improved considerably. We hope to give fight to the powerhouses like Malaysia, South Korea and Japan," he said.
The coach pointed out to the events where the hosts had maximum chances of winning medals. "We have high chances of winning medals in the team sprint event in the boys, girls and women's category. I guess our junior cyclists have better potential to do well," he said.
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