The Indian cricket board on Sunday pledged a donation of Rs 10 crore for the training and preparations of country’s Olympic-bound athletes.
A decision in this regard was taken at the BCCI’s emergent Apex Council meeting, attended by Board president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.
“Yes, BCCI will be helping out the Olympic contingent. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned by the Apex Council,” a senior BCCI official told Agencies.
BCCI pledge huge backing for Indian 2021 Olympics Team
“It (fund) will be used for the preparation and other contingency purposes of our elite athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo Games. The modalities of the payment will be finalised after talking to Sports ministry and Indian Olympic Association (IOA).” The Tokyo Olympic Games will begin from July 23.
It is understood that post-departure of Li Ning as the kit sponsor, the amount donated by the BCCI will certainly help in multiple ways for the contingent in covering various costs which includes training and preparation.
“The BCCI has always believed in helping in the development of Olympic Sports and this is not the first time that a big amount is being donated,” he said.
the BCCI office-bearers briefed select state associations about supporting the Olympic contingent. “We were told that since the BCCI constitution doesn’t allow more than Rs. 2.5 crore to be released as liquid cash for such a cause, the remaining amount will be directed towards the agencies that will run the marketing campaign.”
While the BCCI has moved swiftly to support the Olympic campaign, domestic cricketers and officials are still waiting to be compensated for the loss of matches due to the pandemic. In December last year, the BCCI AGM had decided to form a group to work on the copmensation package. Since then, there has been no official announcement except BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal confirming last month that it will further delayed.
