After a long row of controversies, the India Olympic Association (IOA) has decided to reverse its decision and cancel the appointment of the scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi and Abhaya Chautala as lifetime Presidents of the IOA.
IOA president N Ramachandran said that there was no resolution passed for the same. He said,”In the Chennai AGM, no resolution to appoint Abhaya Chautala and Suresh Kalmadi as life presidents, was passed.”
Keeping in mind the wrath of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and suspension from the Sports Ministry, the IOA members held a meeting in Delhi on January 9 and decided to make the appointments “null and void”.
The appointments made last month were unanimously opposed by the IOA members in Delhi’s meeting and a resolution was passed to cancel the same.
The association asserted that a “formal notification” wasn’t circulated among the members, at least seven days before the AGM, to include the matter of Kalmadi and Chautala’s appointments as life presidents in the Chennai AGM’s agenda. “Hence, the decision stands null and void,” an IOA official said.
On December 27, the former IOA chief and 2010 Commonwealth Games scam convict Suresh Kalmadi and former IABF chief Abhay Singh Chautala were declared as the lifetime presidents of the Indian Olympic Association.
The decision was taken at the Association’s annual general meeting held in Chennai after a resolution for their appointment was moved by Joint Secretary Rakesh Gupta and 150 people, who were part of the meeting agreed to it.
This announcement sparked controversies with people questioning as to how an accused of such a scam could be eligible the chiefs of a sports board who already have various corruption charges on their heads.
The Union Sports Ministry sent a show cause notice to the association and had announced to suspend the recognition of the IOA.
Suresh Kalmadi had served as IOA president from 1996 to 2011 and was sent to Tihar Jail for 10 months for his role in 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games corruption case.
