IOC steps in to support Indian athlete Shiva Keshavan

New Delhi, February 17, 2013: Reigning Luge Asian Champion, Shiva Keshavan, who has been training in Europe to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games after retaining his Asian title and setting a new continental record, may have lost out on his chance to participate in Sochi Games, under the current state of apathy by the Government of India. However, that will not be the case as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stepped in to ensure that Shiva gets to travel and participate in the Olympic test event and World Cup final, a mandatory race for qualifying for the apex sporting event which will be held in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

The sorry state of affairs had led Shiva Keshavan's Coach, Yann Fricheteau, a former Olympian and earlier French National Olympic Coach to quit this year due to the non-payment of his salary by the Government under the NSDF Scheme for sportspersons. The Government had earlier also refused to fund Shiva's participation in the World Cups and the Asian Championships, where Shiva retained the Gold for the second consecutive time for India.

However thanks to a last minute effort, India's Winter Olympic hopes are still alive as the IOC has granted Shiva the prestigious Olympic Solidarity Scholarship upon the recommendation of India's IOC member, Randhir Singh. This is the first time that an athlete has been directly supported by the IOC, as it is generally the prerogative of the Sports Ministry and the NOC of each country to bear the costs of national teams participating in international competitions. Earlier last year, the IOC had suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) which had caused huge embarrassment in the national and international sports fraternity.

"It is already challenging enough to compete against the world's best athletes without having to worry about how I am going to pay for a place sleep and to eat. Last month, despite the personal assurance from the Sports Minister, the NSDF released a small part of the required budget (less than 5%).

I am grateful to the IOC for their support which will enable me to travel for the Olympic test event and Qualify for the 2014 Games. I am also hopeful that the Sports Minister will ensure that the basic training costs are borne by the Government, and not personally by the athletes who are already giving their all to represent the nation,” said a partly relieved Shiva from Sochi.

Press release