International Olympic Committee Puts Conditional Ban On India’s Hosting Bids After Pakistani Shooters Denied Visas 

In what is being seen as a response to the Indian government denying visas to two Pakistani shooters and their coach to participate in the shooting World Cup event in India in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has barred any future bids from India to be the host for its events, reports Times of India.

The decision of the IOC can hamper India’s chances of being the host for major events such as the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the 2030 Asian Games and also the 2032 Summer Olympics.

The IOC has however proposed conditional relief in its letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA); the decision will continue to be operative "until clear written guarantees are obtained from the Indian government to ensure entry of all participants in events in full compliance with the rules of the Olympic Charter.”

There were apprehensions that in response to the government decision against the Pakistani participants, the IOC could withdraw all 16 Olympic quota places from the Shooting World Cup being currently hosted by India, it has decided to take away only two positions, which is welcome news to Indian shooters aspiring to clinch spots for the Tokyo Olympics.

On the other hand, the governing body of shooting sports internationally, the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), is seriously contemplating whether to cancel India’s hosting rights for another Shooting Word Cup in Delhi in 2020.

The IOA is looking up to the government to take the necessary steps to deliver it from this conundrum.

“If the government doesn’t give guarantees in the next 15-20 days, IOC will write another letter to us. We want to host multi-sport events, but all talks have been suspended by the IOC. This issue requires urgent attention,” IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta stated.