A day after Suresh Kalmadi denied the post of lifetime president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), on December 29 Abhay Singh Chautala also said he may deny the post if organisation imposes reservations over it.
He said,”I will be happy to sacrifice my position, once again in the utmost interest of Indian sports, good governance and transparency.”
Wrote to IOA asking them to check with IOC if there is a direction to bar those with cases against them from holding office: Abhay Chautala pic.twitter.com/wOVQfYTKiX
— ANI (@ANI_news) December 29, 2016
Earlier on December 28, Chautala stated that his case is totally different from that of Suresh Kalmadi and said,”Suresh might have declined the post as he was accused of Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam but my case is different. In December 2012, I was elected as the President of IOA. But after International Olympic Committee (IOC) interferred, I resigned.”
Further, he questioned the procedure to select president and said,” If all the former presidents can be life president why couldn’t be I?”
On December 27 Kalmadi, who was put behind bars for his involvement in CWG Scam in 2010, and former IOA Abhay Chautala were declared as the lifetime presidents at IOA’s Annual General Meeting in Chennai.
This move created a ruckus in the Indian political arena which compelled the sports ministry to issue a show cause notice to the IOA.
On the other hand, Abhay Chautal also slammed sports and youth affairs minister Vijay Goel for criticising his appointment as life president of the national Olympic body.
He said,”I am surprised the way sports minister Mr Vijay Goel reacted and the media attention which was given to this ceremonial recognition for my humble contribution to sports. I sacrificed in 2013 by resigning from the President’s post, although I was elected President according to IOA Constitution, Indian Constitution and in a most transparent manner in an election conducted by three eminent Judges,”
