No proposal for Pak tour, says Bharti

Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Uma Bharti said on Friday she has not received any proposal from the Board of Control for Cricket in India regarding the Indian team's tour of Pakistan for the Asian Test championship in September.

Asked if the sports ministry has taken any decision on the team's clearance, Bharti said: "How can I take a decision when the BCCI has not even formally approached us. When the proposal comes to me I will take a decision."

Bharti was talking to newspersons at a press briefing on the Afro Asian Games 2001. She informed that the dope tests conducted by the Sports Authority, in which 140 athletes had allegedly tested positive, have been rejected by the one-man commission that was appointed to look into its authenticity.

"We are going to tell the court that the dope tests done by the SAI earlier were not reliable and hence we are rejecting them," Bharti said.

By this, she said, all those 140 athletes whose names were handed over to the court in a sealed envelope -- following the public interest litigation filed by marathon runner Sunita Godara -- have been exonerated.

Indian Olympic Association secretary general Randhir Singh informed that 45 countries are expected to participate in the Delhi Afro Asian Games from November 3-11, 2001. He, however, said only eight countries will compete in team events. The various disciplines will be spread over nine venues in Delhi, with the main events being held at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.