Randhir wants govt to back bid for 2019 Asiad

Indian Olympic Association secretary general Randhir Singh on Monday said India should bid for the 2019 Asian Games else the lavish infrastructure built for this year's Commonwealth Games (CWG) will remain unutilized after the October 3-14 mega event.

He also urged the government to consider IOA's decision to bid for the Asian Games even as Sports Minister M S Gill had told Rajya Sabha earlier this month that the country will not bid for the 2019 Asiad.

"The infrastructure made for the Commonwealth Games need to be utilised. We last hosted a sporting event in 1982 (Asian Games) and now after 28 years we are again hosting a major event (Commonwealth Games," said Randhir, who is also the Secretary General of the Asian Olympic Association.

"If you are not going to host the Asian Games and the Olympics we will be going back to past. The decision makers should think positively and consider the future of Indian sports," he said.

The IOA official, however, said the negative publicity surrounding the CWG, including corruption charges and delays in preparation, has had a damaging effect on their cause.

"Unfortunately in the wake of the publicity we have received over the last couple of days everyone is looking at it (Asian Games bid) in a negative sense. This is affecting the long term development of India sports," Randhir said.