Kalmadi, Chautala decline IOA posts

The Indian Olympic Association, which found itself in the midst of another controversy after the appointment of scam-tainted former presidents, Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as life presidents, breathed a sigh of relief after both declined to accept the post.

Suresh Kalmadi expressed his inability to take the post in a letter to IOA President N. Ramachandran.

The Indian Olympic Association, which found itself in the midst of another controversy after the appointment of scam-tainted former presidents, Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as life presidents, breathed a sigh of relief after both declined to accept the post.

 

Analysis: >IOA in a moral dilemma

In a letter to the IOA president, N. Ramachandran, Kalmadi, who was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games corruption scandal but later released on bail, wrote: “I thank the Indian Olympic Association for conferring the honour of Lifetime President on me. However I do not feel it would be appropriate for me to accept this honour at this time.

“I am confident that my name will be cleared and I will defer acceptance of the honour till such time.”

“Kalmadi wrote to me saying that he will clear his name and then take up the honour,” said N. Ramachandran, president of IOA.

Chautala, meanwhile, >took on the Sports Minister Vijay Goel , who had criticised the IOA’s move, in a press conference in New Delhi. He, however, later expressed his inability to take up the position to one of the IOA Vice-Presidents.