Games budget baloons further

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, AUG. 5. The cost of hosting the inaugural Afro-Asian Games has started to resemble a hungry demon - it is eating with both hands but is not satiated.

In real terms, the 17 sub-committees set up to look after the various aspects in the conduct of the Games, have been asking for more money. And, the unending requests never seem to stop.

Even as the Afro-Asian Games Organising Committee (AAGOC) is awaiting sanction from the Finance Ministry for the more funds it had asked for in June, its Chairperson, Ms. Uma Bharti, on Sunday said that the projected budget of Rs. 111 crore would not be enough.

``All the sub-committees are yet to submit its proposals for the allocation of funds. Going by the rough estimate, the total budget for the Games would now come around Rs 150 crore,'' Ms. Bharti told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony to release the official mascot of the Games.

``It would not cross Rs. 150 crore,'' assured Ms. Bharti saying that the AAGOC would have to raise the new burden of Rs. 39 crore from sponsorships. ``We do not want to spend lavishly or incur any extravagant costs, but the Games will be organised in grandiose manner,'' she insisted.

The AAGOC had raised the budget for the Games to Rs. 111 crore from the initially sanctioned Rs. 80 crore, and it is still awaiting the clearance for the additional Rs. 31 crore. And, now another Rs. 39 crore at this stage, with just three months left for the Opening Ceremony, has caught the critics napping.

A sudden leap from Rs. 111 crore to Rs. 150 crore came about in just two days. Only on Friday evening, Ms. Bharti, had told the National and international media over a dinner meeting that the AAGOC's demand for the additional budget was under consideration of the Finance Ministry. She never mentioned that the estimate of the Games had risen to Rs. 150 crore.

It was the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, who brought this topic to the fore on Sunday.

During his speech after the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, released the Games' mascot, Mr. Kalmadi said that the AAGOC was fully prepared to conduct the ``most low-cost Games ever.''

He said the Games would cost around Rs. 120 crore plus, which according to Mr. Kalmadi was very low cost for conducting any Games of such stature.

``You see China is spending $ 20 billion for 2008 Olympic Games, and Doha, the host of 2006 Asian Games, is to spend over Rs. 6000 crore. By that count what we are spending is very less,'' Mr. Kalmadi said.

The IOA President said that since India had put forth the concept of the Afro-Asian Games, it did not have to spend on the bidding process. ``Already there are three African countries vying to host the next edition of the Games, and these days money spent during such campaign should be around the same what India would incur to conduct the entire Games,'' Mr. Kalmadi said.

Saying that the Marketing Committee of the AAGOC was still awaiting response from the corporate houses for the sponsorships, Mr. Kalmadi was critical of the National broadcaster Doordarshan, which has refused to cough up money to get the telecast rights of the Games.

``Doordarshan is ready to spend Rs. 40 crore to buy the cricket telecast rights, but it is not ready to give even Rs. 10 crore for the global telecast rights of the Afro-Asian Games,'' Mr. Kalmadi said. The AAGOC, it seems, was hoping to make money from selling the telecast rights to Doordarshan, to meet its additional demand.

Mr. Kalmadi was, however, confident that the AAGOC would be able to tap the sponsors for the Games in time.

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