The IOA officials who released 19 disciplines for the Asian Games, announced that volleyball was not considered as the screening committee felt it would stand no chance in the strong competition at the Games. IOA cited India's ninth place finish in the Asian Championship as justification for taking such a step. But VFI officials allege that it had more to do with IOA politics than merit as the team, currently in training at SAI, Bangalore was in excellent form.

India was placed in an easy group with Lebanon and Thailand and topping the group was almost certain and the team was capable of winning a medal.``IOA never presented our case before SAI officials with whom they held discussions in finalising the list,'' VFI sources said.

``In fact, the camp has been sanctioned bySAI and VFI was in a fix with the players themselves unsure on continuing with it. We have asked IOA to come clear and give to us in writing that volleyball has been scratched. SAI is still supporting the camp which shows that there is more to it than meets the eye,'' the sources added.

Volleyball, where India won the bronze medal at the 1986 Seoul Games beating a strong power like Japan, was not part of the Indian campaign in the next two editions in Beijing (1990) and Hiroshima (1994) as VFI itself kept away from entering the discipline as it felt the team was not strong.

But development programmes initiated by VFI in the last few years have seen Indian standard go up. India emerged runners-up in the 1994 junior Asian meet and qualified for the 1995 junior World Championship held at Johar Bahru, Malaysia, after a 11-year gap. most of those players are part of the senior side now.

VFI had roped in an Egypt-born German expert, Abdul Hameed El-Wassimi to boost the team's technical proficiency. But theIOA decision to ignore the claims has come as a big surprise, VFI sources added.

India has come up with a consistent showing at the Games despite the presence of strong powers like Korea, China and Japan in the Continental Games. India won bronze at Tokyo in 1958 when the discipline was introduced and improved to silver at Jakarta in 1962 and was fourth in the 1966 Bangkok edition. It finished fourth in Teheran (1974) and New Delhi (1982) besides claiming bronze in Seoul.

Interestingly, IOA has decided to clear the men's football team where India cannot even hope to progress beyond the preliminary league stage, apart from swimming. IOA has justified this saying it was in preparation for the 2001 Afro-Asian Games.