As two countries denied visa to Indian teams in the last two days, the Indian Weightlifting Federation today cried foul and lodged protest with the respective governing bodies of the game for “denying right to participate”.
The senior and junior Indian teams for the December 5-7 Commonwealth Championships were today denied visa by the Cyprus consulate owing to “procedural lapse” according to the IWF.
The tour of Korea for Junior and Youth Asian Championships — slated from December 3-5 — had to be scrapped yesterday due to same reason.
IWF General Secretary B R Gulati said they have lodged a “formal protest” with the host federations, Commonwealth and the Asian Federations for the “unforgiving experience”.
“We are convinced that we have been treated unfairly and denied our right of participation entirely due to a very different approach by the host organisation,” he said in his protest letter to the Asian Weightlifting Federation and the Korean Federation.
“We have been repeatedly insulted and humiliated at the Embassy in New Delhi, doubting the credentials of our lifters and team/technical officials.
“The championships being of Youth and Juniors, most of the participants from India were naturally young people, not necessarily with any previous International exposure.
“There passports were naturally new and not endorsed for any previous trip abroad. The profession for these young people cannot be anything but student,” he said.
Gulati also demanded compensation for the expenses incurred on the training and logistic arrangements from the federations-concerned.
