New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): The tenure of Sandip Pradhan as Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been extended by two years.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for extension of Central deputation tenure of Sandip Mukund Pradhan IRS , Director General (DG), Sports Authority of India (SAI), Department of Sports for a period of two years w.e.f 06.06.2020," read the official statement.

SAI's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for resumption of training in sports facilities was recently approved by the Sports Ministry.

It was however stated that the SOP will be inferior in places where they may clash with the guidelines of the specific state government.

Additionally, SAI Secretary Rohit Bharadwaj, who headed the six-member panel which formulated the SOP, said that it is only a "broad reference document" and will need to be adapted according to the conditions of the particular region.

SAI had announced the formation of the six-member committee led by Bharadwaj on May 10. A separate committee headed by Executive Director, TEAMS Division of SAI Radhica Sreeman was formed for formulating SOPs for swimming.

Opening of stadiums and sports complexes for athletes was among the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 17 while announcing an extension of the nationwide lockdown that is in place to stem the spread of coronavirus.