BCCI claims to have spent INR 18 crore on Tokyo Olympics 2020

In its first post-pandemic physical Apex Council meeting on Thursday, chaired by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and attended by secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Arun Dhumal, joint secretary Jayesh George, among others, the BCCI put forward the break-up of the non-cricketing expenditure adding up to INR 22 crore.

The board mentioned an expenditure of over INR 18 crore towards the Tokyo Olympics, which included INR 68 lakh to an event management company, INR 4 crore for cash awards for medalists, and INR 5 crore for the purchase of ‘PM Cares’ mementos for athletes. Further, the board also mentioned the INR 3.8 crore allocated for the funding of oxygen concentrators during the crisis hours of the pandemic.

“The summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in Tokyo from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The BCCI has decided to support Indian athletes in every form and manner it can. In that spirit, based on the request received from the IOA/ MYAS (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports), the Apex Council of BCCI has decided to extend support to the Indian Olympic Association and has pledged a monetary gesture of Rs 10 crore,” the board had said in a statement.

In the breakdown of the expenses, the BCCI listed INR 7 crore for the advertisement agency that worked on the promotion of the Tokyo Olympics in India, INR 98 lakh for Olympics campaign T-shirts, INR 70 lakh for singer Mohit Chauhan who composed and sang the inspirational anthem, “Lakshya tere saamne hai, jeet ke aana (The target is in front of you, return as a winner)”, for the Indian contingent.

Our responsibility to help other sports: BCCI official

The Lodha Committee, which was appointed by the Supreme Court, drafted the board’s new constitution and directed the BCCI to support other sports in the country alongside cricket. The Board members stayed true to the legal mandate and stated that it was their responsibility to look after the welfare of other sports in the country.

“It is our responsibility to help other sports. All the members agreed to this expenditure,” said a BCCI official on condition of anonymity.

The Apex Council meeting also agreed upon increasing the prize money for domestic tournaments. Ranji Trophy, India’s illustrious and premier domestic competition awards INR 2 crore to the winners, which will be reformed after the increased allocation by the board, decided by the office-bearers. The increase in the prize money of the domestic competitions comes in the wake of the humongous inr 48,390 crore sale of IPL media rights in June.

“The Apex Council has decided to give powers to office-bearers to decide on the revised prize money,” said a BCCI official. The council also discussed the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) in domestic cricket, a much-needed addition.