Politics in Sports:Withdraw Sri Lanka from Asian Atheletic meet-Jayalalithaa urges

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has urged the Asian Athletics Association in Singapore, to shunt-out Sri Lankan Team from participation in the 20th Asian Athletics Championship scheduled to be held in Chennai in July.

In a statement here on Thursday, she said the Asian Athletics Association would be asked to hold the Championships anywhere else.

It was on Wednesday that the Chief Minister condemned the Sri Lankan government over the “inhuman act of alleged cold blooded killing” of Balachandran, son of the slain LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said her government had written to the Asian Athletics Association in Singapore, seeking that Sri Lankan team be desisted from participation. This was in view of the Sri Lankan government “acting repeatedly” against Sri Lankan Tamils. The sporting body had also been requested to intimate to the Sri Lankan government in an appropriate way the State government's decision.

The Association had been requested to inform the State government of the follow up action. Copies of the State government's letter to the Association were sent to Secretaries of Union Ministries of External Affairs and Sports. “But there has been no reply or information from the Association so far,” she pointed out.

Ms. Jayalalithaa added that “since there has been no favourable response from the Asian Athletics Association, my government will at no cost accept holding the event, in which Sri Lanka is also participating, in Tamil Nadu. Tamils also will not accept it.”

The Chief Minister recalled that she had ordered the return of Sri Lankan football players who were in Chennai for a friendly match in September last.

"My government will at not any cost accept holding the event, in which Sri Lanka is also participating, in Tamil Nadu", the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said.

- Asian Tribune -