The Sports Ministry on Saturday asked the IOA to withdraw Vikram Singh Bhandari from the Kayaking and Canoeing team of the Indian Asian Games contingent besides taking back its approval of participation for the Equestrian team in the ongoing mega event in Guangzhou, China.
In a letter to IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh, the ministry said, "It has come to the notice of the Ministry that the IOA had included the name of Vikram Singh Bhandari (slalom individual entry) in the kayaking and canoeing team although the selection committee has not recommended his name, which has been viewed seriously.
"Under the circumstances, the approval granted for participation of Vikram Singh Bhandari is hereby withdrawn," it stated.
Bhandari finished eighth and ninth in the first two singles kayaking slalom heat runs in Guangzhou on Saturday.
The Ministry also asked for the withdrawal of equestrian team from the Asian Games, saying the pre-requisites with regards to horses have not been met.
"It is learnt that the horses are yet to leave Bangalore where they have been quarantine because full clearance from Chinese authorities is still awaited. Your proposal of transporting three horses (2-eventing and 1-dressage) cleared by the Chinese authorities against the original proposal of eight horses is not acceptable to this ministry.
"It is also relevant to mention that two horses do not make a team and therefore, even otherwise, they wouldn't be able to participate in the team event.
"The government has taken a serious note of the mishandling of the entire matter by the Equestrian Federation of India and under these circumstances, the government is constrained to withdraw the approval for participation of the equestrian team in the Asian Games 2010," the ministry stated.
