Making A Difference

'Bribe Allegations False'

It may sound strange to Indian ears, but Pakistan Olympic Association president defends India’s preparation of the CWG

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'Bribe Allegations False'
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It may sound strange to Indian ears, but Pakistan Olympic Association president Lt Gen Syed Arif Hassan defends India’s preparation of the CWG

Are there any security concerns about the Delhi CWG?

Although the law and order situation in South Asia isn’t ideal, the Indian authorities have made frantic efforts to ensure foolproof security. I don’t think that the concerns of some western nations hold any ground.

How do you view an Australian newspaper’s allegations that the Indians had bribed the participating nations with millions of dollars to get hosting rights for the CWG? 

I simply reject these reports. It’s unfair on the part of anyone to say India paid bribes. As a matter of fact, all countries, when they bid for the CWG or other mega-events, offer incentives to the member countries in the bid document which is an official document. The Indian authorities also offered incentives like taking care of training of the participating countries’ athletes and airfare for them. This is nothing new, even England offered incentives in its bid documents for the Olympic Games. So you can’t call it a bribe. Having received the said amount from India almost 18 months ago, we have already distributed the same amongst the different teams which will be taking part in the CWG.

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A footbridge collapsing, part of the ceiling falling, the CWG has been marred by embarrassing incidents....

Let’s hope no such untoward incident happens. We are confident the Indians will take good care of us.
Do you think the Indians will support Pakistan if it gets a chance to host an international sports event?

Sportsmen are the ambassadors of peace. Our support to India is based on principles. While rising above petty politics to support the CWG in India, we do expect a similar friendly gesture from India in the future.

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