India's sports minister hits Afro-Asian Games for a six

NEW DELHI, Aug 5 (AFP) - With less then three months to go for the scheduled start of the inaugural Afro-Asian Games, the Indian government is undecided where they should be held.

The Games, touted by Indian sports officials as a contest between the best athletes from Asia and Africa, were fixed for October 24 to November 1 in the southern city of Hyderabad.

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But federal sports minister Vikram Verma announced in parliament on Tuesday the government had not yet made a decision on whether they should be held outside the country's capital New Delhi.

"Though there seems to be an agreement among most of those concerned about Hyderabad being the venue, the cabinet is yet to take a final decision about the change of venue from Delhi," Verma said.

The Games, a pet project of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi, were originally scheduled to be held in New Delhi in 2001 but were put off twice due to security reasons.

Competitions are to be held in eight disciplines: athletics, boxing, football, hockey, shooting, swimming, tennis and weightlifting.

Verma's surprise announcement in parliament caught IOA officials by surprise. Others doubted whether the Games, budgeted at 40 million dollars, were worth it.

"I am not surprised something as comical as this has happened so close to the date," said Sharda Ugra, a sports editor with the respected India Today magazine.

"Does the world need such Games, I am not sure. They are a vaccum cleaner for public money. It's basically a huge waste of the taxpayers' money."

A senior IOA official, who did not want to be named, downplayed the sports minister's comments and insisted the Games will be held in Hyderabad as scheduled.

"There has to be a communication error somewhere," he said. "Everyone knows that Hyderabad has been chosen the venue and preparations are going on there at full swing."

Newspaper reports last week said the government had not even decided how much of the total budget will be borne by the public exchequer.

"Depending on the political manoeuverings at the highest level, the funds might yet flow from the federal kitty," the Hindu newspaper said.

"But doubts are already being expressed -- at least by the sports ministry -- about the need and the wisdom of footing the travel costs of participants, officials and delegates."

Doubts also exist over how much money the IOA can raise from corporate sponsors.

"The IOA, at best, has always projected millions on paper without being able to generate the kind of money it keeps talking about while bidding for multi-discipline Games," the Hindu said.

The uncertainity comes at a time when a delegation of the Commonwealth Games Federation is in New Delhi to evaluate the capital's bid to host the 2010 competitions. The Canadian city of Hamilton is the only other contender.

New Delhi hosted the Asian Games twice in 1951 and 1982, but garnered only two votes when it bid a third time for the 2006 Asiad, which were eventually alloted to Doha, Qatar.

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