BCCI to CWG panel: Keep away

Snubs Games organisers who offered sponsor status for Rs 100 cr.

The country’s richest sports body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), today snubbed the Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games (CWG).

The OC asked for Rs 100 crore from BCCI in return for being allowed to become a sponsor for the event, to begin from the first week of October. Instead, BCCI made it clear they did not wish to associate with the CWG event in any way.

This is BCCI’s second major snub to the OC. The OC’s Executive Head, Suresh Kalmadi, had asked BCCI to postpone the India-Australia cricket series, which is clashing with CWG, as he feared this would have an adverse impact on the television viewership. Around two weeks earlier, BCCI refused.

The no-association decision was taken in a working committee meeting in Mumbai today. A top functionary, confirming the development, said: “We had been asked to invest Rs 100 crore as lead partner to CWG. We have turned down the request. We are not going to be involved at any level with the event.”

N Srinavasan, secretary of BCCI, declined to specify why the Board had decided to not associate with the Games. The snub is a major setback for the OC, already being charged with corruption and major wrongdoing, being investigated by the country’s top agencies. It has been struggling to get sponsors, especially as the private sector has shown lukewarm response.

Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had earlier asked profit-making state sector units to sponsor the event. Indian Railways, roped in as a lead partner, has made provision to give Rs 100 crore. NTPC and Central Bank of India are contributing Rs 50 crore each. Air India, official carrier of the Games, is chipping in Rs 30 crore in tickets for officials and players, as part of its contribution. It has additionally offered to provide two chartered planes.

Doordarshan, the government television channel, is hoping to get about Rs 110 crore as ad revenue from the Games, which is short change compared to the Rs 700 crore SET Max made during the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament. However, IPL stretched over 45 days as compared to the 11-day roll of CWG.