AIKF treasurer Bharat Sharma (centre) addresses the news meet at JRD Tata Sports Complex on Thursday. (Srinivas)

Jamshedpur, Nov. 12: The All India Karate Federation (AIKF) today threatened to boycott the 34th National Games if the Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) continued to meddle with Games affairs.

Bharat Sharma, the AIKF treasurer, said as much at a news meet this evening.

Sharma, who has been appointed observer by the federation to settle the problems afflicting the state association, did not mince his words while targeting the JOA, the state’s apex sports body.

“The JOA has no business in interfering in internal issues of AIKF. We have rejected the ad hoc panel constituted by JOA in view of National Games,” Sharma added.

He said that the national federation headed by R. Thyagarajan looks after the Games affairs in the country and has the right to stop karate teams from participating. “We won’t allow teams to take part in the Games if the JOA continues with the ad hoc panel. We’ll rather boycott the sports extravaganza,” said Sharma, a sixth Dan Black Belt.

Sharma was here to look into the problems plaguing Jharkhand State Karate-Do Association (JSKA). “I am going to hold talks with members of the parallel body to hear their grievances. I’ll be submitting my report to the AIKF chief soon,” Sharma added.

The JOA recently constituted an ad hoc panel in view of the Games. The five-member panel, which includes Nandji Prasad (chairman), Prem Dubey (convener), C.A. Khan, Vimal Nag and Rahul Kumar Gope, has been empowered to control the overall affairs of the Games in Jharkhand.

The very existence of JSKA, headed by L. Nageshwar Rao, has been challenged by the Karate-Do Association of Jharkhand, which claims to be the original state body functioning since 2000.

The JSKA was dissolved by its executive members and office bearers in Ranchi last month. Nine members of JSKA formed a parallel state association in the same name.