Topic Of The Day:-“Missed Target: On India Refusing Visa To Pakistani Competitors”
IN SENDING A STRONG MESSAGE TO PAKISTAN, INDIA SHOULD NOT SHOOT ITSELF IN THE FOOT
The decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revoke Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualification status for the men’s 25-metre rapid fire pistol event from the New Delhi shooting World Cup is acontroversy Indian sport could have done without. This has come after India refused visas to two Pakistani competitors, in the backdrop of heightened bilateral tensions after the terror attack in Pulwama. The IOC hasdeclared that this is against the Olympic Charter’s principles, of which non-discrimination, equal treatment of all athletes and sporting delegations and political non-interference are supreme. It is clear that in the clamour to send Pakistan what it perceives to be the right message, India has shot itself in the foot. In the short term, the scrapping of two out of 16 quota places will deny three Indian shooters, including 16-year-old Anish Bhanwala who won the gold in the event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, an opportunity to make the Olympic grade at home. While the National Rifle Association of India has thanked the IOC for sparing the 14 other places by restricting the withdrawal of recognition to just one event, three Indian shooters, for no fault of theirs, have ended up as collateral damage.
The long-term consequences, however, could be more severe. The IOC, in a strongly worded statement, said that it has decided to “suspend all discussions with the Indian National Olympic Committees and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events until clear written guarantees are obtained…to ensure the entry of all participants.” This means negotiationsregarding India’s potential bids for the 2026 Youth Olympics, 2030 Asian Games and 2032 Olympics are set to go into cold storage. While it is true that the IOC’s record in dealing with the overlapping worlds of geopolitics and sports is uneven, there have been precedents of strong action in similar cases. Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait had its qualification status removed after an Israeli delegate wasn’t granted a visa. Less than a month ago, Malaysia was stripped of the World Para Swimming Championship for turning down visa requests from Israeli participants. The entire episode has also played out at a time when sections of the BCCI, egged on by a few yesteryear greats, seemingly mulledover the option of calling for a complete ban on Pakistan from the upcoming ICC World Cup in England. Going by experience, beyond feeding into a certain kind of atmospherics, such bans on sportspersons and interactions in international sports events will have no meaningful effect.
MEANINGS AND WORDS:-
1) revoke
Meaning: officially cancel (a decree, decision, or promise)(v).
Synonyms: abolish
Antonyms: affirm
Example: “the men appealed and the sentence was revoked”
2) controversy
Meaning: prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion(n).
Antonyms: agreement
Example: “the design of the building has caused controversy”
3) perceives
Meaning: become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand(v).
Synonyms: discern
Antonyms: disbelieve
Example: “his mouth fell open as he perceived the truth”
4) scrapping
Meaning: discard or remove from service (a redundant, old, or inoperative vehicle, vessel, or machine), especially so as to convert it to scrap metal(v).
Synonyms: discard
Antonyms: accept
Example: “a bold decision was taken to scrap existing plant”
5) deny
Meaning: state that one refuses to admit the truth or existence of(v).
Synonyms: rebuff
Antonyms: accept
Example: “both firms deny any responsibility for the tragedy”
6) recognition
Meaning: identification of someone or something or person from previous encounters or knowledge(n).
Synonyms: acceptance
Antonyms: denial
Example: “she saw him pass by without a sign of recognition”
7) ensure
Meaning: make certain that (something) will occur or be the case(v).
Synonyms: assure
Antonyms: endanger
Example: “the client must ensure that accurate records are kept”
8) bids
Meaning: offer (a certain price) for something, especially at an auction(v).
Synonyms: advance
Antonyms: withdrawal
Example: “a consortium of dealers bid a world record price for a snuff box”
9) precedents
Meaning: an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances(n).
Synonyms: criterion
Example: “there are substantial precedents for using interactive media in training”
10) delegate
Meaning: a person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference(n).
Synonyms: envoy
Antonyms: discharge
Example: “congress delegates rejected the proposals”
11) stripped
Meaning: remove all coverings from(v).
Synonyms: deprived
Antonyms: garnished
Example: “they stripped the bed”
12) mulled
Meaning: think about (a fact, proposal, or request) deeply and at length(v).
Synonyms: deliberate
Antonyms: forget
Example: “she began to mull over the various possibilities”
