The inaugural Afro-Asian Games will be held in India as scheduled later this year following backing from the government, officials said today.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee cleared the proposal to hold the Games in India despite opposition from Sports Minister Uma Bharti, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi said.
The prime minister's intervention came after political bickering between the IOA and the sports ministry threatened to ruin the Games.
Sports Minister Uma Bharti opposed the holding of the Games because the IOA, headed by opposition politician Kalmadi, could not set up an organising committee agreeable to the government.
The IOA needs government cooperation to replace the synthetic track at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the athletics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, will take place.
The Games, to be held in New Delhi between November 3rd and 11th, will feature eight disciplines: athletics, boxing, football, hockey, shooting, swimming, tennis and weightlifting.
Some 2,000 participants are expected to take part in New Delhi's biggest sporting event since the Asian Games in 1982.