Despite Kalmadi swipe,Hooper is back at work

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper continued to work from the Organising Committee office and even held discussions with senior IOA officials.

While Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi reiterated that Commonwealth Games Federations chief executive Mike Hooper must be recalled from India,the New Zealander continued to work from the Organising Committee (OC) office and even held discussions with senior IOA officials on Monday.

I am functioning from the OC headquarters. I have not been told to work from anywhere else, Hooper told ‘The Indian Express’. Today,I had discussions with A K Mattoo (OC treasurer and IOA vice-president) and A S V Prasad (OC joint director general).

Mattoo said: Yes,Hooper came to my office this morning. This is a normal thing. Nothing new about it,nothing secretive about it.

After CGF president Mike Fennell had snubbed his demand to repatriate Hooper,Kalmadi had again said that Hoopers presence was hampering OCs day-to-day functioning. He even cited a clause which said the committee didnt necessarily have to provide the CGF representative a permanent space in its office.

Clause 30 (f) dealing with Knowledge Transfer and GKMP in the Host City Contract does not provide for the permanent presence of a CGF representative in the Organising Committee office, Kalmadi said in a statement on Friday.

But Hooper insisted that,as far as he was concerned,it was back to business as usual.

That attack by Kalmadi was personal and most unfortunate,but I am a professional and my reaction to that nonsense had shown that. For me,its business as usual again. There is little time and we need to focus on real issues. Lets not get our attention diverted, Hooper said.

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Despite the OCs opposition to the independent Technical Review Panel,the CGF is already discussing the composition of the monitoring body and expects it to start functioning after Christmas.

Post-general assembly,Fennell had said the panel would be in place in January. As you know,the Coordination Commission is meeting in December to review the progress. Its report well find out whether its positive or negative will be out by Christmas. The Technical Review Panel will then take it from there, Hooper said.

On whether the CGF had finalised names for the panel,Hooper said: All I can tell you is that the process of identifying people is on. We Fennell,the board and I have already had discussions in this regard.

Meanwhile,Sports Minister M S Gill today said he was confident that the spat between the OC and CGF would be resolved at their London meeting later this month.

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Whatever has happened is not right and shouldnt have happened, Gill said. On October 29,I am going to London for the Queens Baton Relay and there I will meet Fennell and Kalmadi. I will talk to them and try to resolve the matter.