Indian Olympic Association (IOA) introduced on Wednesday that they have been wanting for a brand new attire sponsor by the top of the month forward of Tokyo Olympics however quickly after Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted that no Indian athlete, coach or assist workers will put on branded garments and their kits may have solely ‘India’ written on it. This complete confusion comes after IOA dropped Li Ning as its official package sponsor following uproar that India will put on garments from a Chinese firm.
IOA stated it’s hoping to discover a new package sponsor for the nation’s Olympic-bound contingent by the top of this month.
“Indian athletes, coaches and assist workers, received’t be sporting any branded attire at Tokyo Olympics. Only ‘INDIA’ will probably be written within the kits of our athletes,” Rijiju tweeted.
Indian athletes, coaches and support staff, won’t be wearing any branded apparel at Tokyo Olympics.Only ‘INDIA’ will be written in the kits of our athletes. pic.twitter.com/L0mql1D96s— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 9, 2021
On Wednesday, IOA president Narinder Batra said search is on for a new sponsor within the limited available time.
“The process (of finding a new sponsor) is in progress but time in our hand is very limited. We don’t want to put pressure on anyone and have them on board under duress. It has to be on mutual agreement,” Batra informed PTI.
“By month finish, we should take a name on whether or not to go unbranded. The apparels are prepared and wish at hand them over to our athletes as quickly as doable.”
The IOA had unveiled the Olympic kit designed by Li Ning last week in the presence of sports minister Kiren Rijiju, which led to widespread criticism as Chinese companies had faced opposition after last year’s military face-off between the two countries in eastern Ladakh.
It is learnt that the Sports Ministry then advised the Olympic body to snap ties with the company. The IOA chief said that the decision to drop Li Ning was taken in public interest.
“I am not going to take the name of any company or anyone, but the decision was taken only after we started to receive criticism from all quarters, including the media following the announcement. We took this decision keeping in mind public sentiment,” Batra stated.
Batra stated for the IOA and Sports Ministry, the precedence is preparation of the nation’s Olympic-bound athletes and logistics relating to their journey to Tokyo for the quadrennial Games.
While Li Ning was the official attire accomplice, the official ceremonial kits are being sponsored by Raymonds.
The IOA chief additionally dismissed reviews that India, together with 9 different nations, could possibly be barred from taking part within the Tokyo Olympics by the organisers due to a surge in COVID-19 instances in these nations.
“These are all media speculations. We at IOA haven’t heard something from both the IOC (International Olympic Committee) or the organisers on this regard,” Batra said.
“But still we have asked the IOC and Tokyo Games organisers to give us a clear picture. India is still better-placed than most other nations in terms of COVID cases and mortality rate.”
A Malaysian media report claimed that the Japanese authorities had requested the Games organising committee to contemplate denying entry to 10 nations, together with India, as a result of surge in COVID instances not too long ago.
The report additional said that different nations on the doable “no entry record” are Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.
However, the Games organisers have also rejected the speculation.
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