Tokyo Olympics 2020: Any decision that adversely affects Indian athletes’ preparation not acceptable to us, says Kiren Rijiju

India’s sports minister Kiren Rijiju has said that any decision from the Tokyo 2020 organisers that adversely affects the preparations of Indian athletes in terms of stricter quarantines or other countermeasures will “not be acceptable” for them.

In a letter to athletes and other stakeholders on Friday, the Tokyo 2020 organisers had announced that there would be an additional set of rules for athletes, officials and journalists travelling to Tokyo from 11 countries, including India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, due to the “presence of COVID-19 variants which present a higher level of risk”.

“It will not be acceptable to us if there’s any decision regarding quarantine and other things which will adversely affect the preparation of our athletes. If there are rules and regulations that are not good for our athletes, I will strongly raise this issue as the sports minister,” Rijiju told journalists on Tuesday in a virtual press conference, one day before the one-month-to-go mark for Tokyo Olympics.

“We got information from Japan that there are certain concerns. As per Olympic Charter there cannot be any discrimination with any country in the participation at the Olympics. If there are rules which are discriminatory towards Indians, or for that matter any country, this has to be addressed.”

The sports minister said that he had conveyed to Indian Olympic Association to register their concerns with the organising committee of Tokyo 2020. He also said that a Special Olympics Cell had been created at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo. “Through the IOA and the Indian Embassy, we’re conveying our concerns to the organisers.”

Tokyo 2020 organisers had divided the 11 countries (which they said had the presence of COVID-19 variants which present a higher level of risk) in two categories, with India falling in the one with the strictest regulations. The new regulations meant that athletes and officials travelling to Japan from India would have to get tested for COVID-19 every day for seven days before they flew for Japan. Besides this, they would also be barred from physically interacting with anyone from another team, delegation or country for three days after they arrived in Japan.

Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were part of the group with India, while Bangladesh, Egypt, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Vietnam were in the second group on whom restrictions would be stricter than athletes from the rest of the world. Athletes from all countries can enter the Athletes Village only five days before their event, and have been told to leave two days after their event is over.

The IOA had branded the additional rules for Indian athletes “unfair and discriminatory” , and had written to the organisers twice, first on Saturday and then on Monday seeking clarifications.

“… why make athletes suffer at a time when they need to peak, once again highly unfair for Indian athletes who have worked hard for five years to be discriminated against just five days before the Olympics,” a letter from IOA President Narinder Batra and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta stated.

Two days later, the IOA sent another email asking for further clarifications from the organisers, pointing out that members of the Indian contingent may not be able to get hold of the report of the RT-PCR tests done 48 hours prior to departure for Tokyo because of a slow turnaround time. They had also sought to understand if the rules applied to Indian athletes training abroad for a period of time and flying directly to Tokyo.

The sports minister said that in case of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Athletes Village among the Indian contingent, the Indian Embassy in Tokyo would provide ‘back-up support’. “Arrangements inside the Games Village are beyond our jurisdiction. But from our side we will provide manpower and back-up support. This is why we have created a Special Olympics Cell in the Indian Embassy in Tokyo,” he said, while adding: “Our athletes will be practising and participating in a very safe environment. I’m sure at Tokyo the arrangements are the highest level, in terms of safety and security arrangements.”

Rijiju said that the government would be organising a virtual ceremony to send off India’s athletes to the Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus situation as well as logistical concerns. Many of India’s athletes such as Indian shooters (currently based in Croatia), equestrian rider Fouaad Mirza (based in Germany) fencer Bhavani Devi (Italy), many wrestlers, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, and four sailors, among others are currently training abroad and expected to fly straight to Tokyo.

On being asked if there was anything the sports ministry could have done more in the build-up to the Games for Indian athletes preparing, Rijiju said: “I personally feel whatever should be done and could be done has been meticulously executed.”