Indian sports stares at international isolation

New Delhi: In a major setback for India, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday suspended all Indian applications to host future Olympic-related events until New Delhi guarantees in writing the entry of all participants.

The IOC measure comes after two Pakistani shooters were denied visas to compete in the ISSF Shooting World Cup, starting here on Saturday, which also resulted in the scrapping of two of the 16 Tokyo Olympic quota places on offer in the marquee tournament. 

The denial of visas followed the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that led to the martyrdom of 40 CRPF troopers. 

"Since becoming aware of the issue, and in spite of intense last-minute efforts and discussions with the Indian government authorities, no solution has been found to allow the Pakistani delegation to enter India in time to compete," the IOC statement said.

"As a result, the IOC Executive Board also decided to suspend all discussions with the IOA (Indian Olympic Association) and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India," it added.