CHENNAI: After a while in the doldrums, Indian volley is finally getting back on track. The sport in the country had been affected due to the tussle that went on in the Volleyball Federation of India and it’s been nearly two years since the national team last played an international event. But with the dispute settling in favour of secretary Ramavtar Singh Jakhar, VFI officials are finally looking to leave the saga behind. “We will elect a new president on September 27,” Jakhar told Express.
“Everything will be over with that. The FIVB (world body) has already recognised the new set of office bearers we have elected. They will lift the provisional suspension when the president is elected.” A Delhi High court decision had enabled the federation announce the election of all office bearers except for the president back in April. Jakhar revealed that while it had not been made official, India was de facto back in the international fold.
“We are already receiving all the mails from the Asian Volleyball Federation and FIVB. We are making plans for the national camp and the team will be going on an exposure tour soon.” Another shot in the arm for the VFI has been the fact that the Sports Ministry has re-recognised them, meaning spikers across the country are eligible for recruitment from PSUs again.
The Sports Ministry’s decision came on July 20. On Monday, the Railway Ministry issued a directive saying that volleyball players were once again eligible for recruitment after the Sports Ministry’s decision. Interestingly, only the events organised by the VFI after July 20 will be considered for recruitment, meaning players who performed in the recent junior nationals will miss out. “The Sports Ministry has recognised us as has the Indian Olympic Association. So things are looking up. I am confident everything will be back to normal soon enough,” Jakhar said.
vishnu.prasad@newindianexpress.com