&nbsp;

Facing a severe backlash for appointing scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as life presidents, the Indian Olympic Association has been forced to revoke its controversial decision.

A top IOA official confirmed that the appointments of Kalmadi and Chautala has been declared &quot;null and void&quot; in order to get the recognition of the Sports Ministry and also to avoid any possible action from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Kalmadi and Chautala were elevated to the honorary position at the IOA&#39;s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Chennai on December 27, but the Olympic body was forced to reverse its decision after it was opposed by a majority of IOA members.

&quot;Both Kamaldi and Chautala&#39;s appointments have been declared null and void as after going through all the documents of the AGM we found out that there were technical fault in the decision,&quot; a top IOA official said. &quot;Kamaldi and Chautala are no longer part of IOA and have nothing to do with IOA,&quot; the official added.

The current move can be termed as a complete U-turn from the IOA which has been suspended by the Sports Ministry for making the controversial appointments.

The Ministry said IOA&#39;s suspension will continue until it decides to reverse its decision of appointing Kalmadi and Chautala as its life presidents. In fact, newly-appointed International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Narinder Batra also resigned as the Olympic body&#39;s associate vice-president in protest.

While Kalmadi is an accused in the 2010 Commonwealth Games corruption scam and has also spent nine months in jail, Chautala is facing a trial in disproportionate assets case. However, Kalmadi hasn&#39;t accepted the honourary post until he gets a clean chit from the court, Chautala was defiant and decided to stick to his position until he was asked by the IOC to do so.

(PTI)

Facing a backlash, Indian Olympic Association has decided to revoke appointments of Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Chautala as life presidents

Facing a severe backlash for appointing scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as life presidents, the Indian Olympic Association has been forced to revoke its controversial decision. A top IOA official confirmed that the appointments of Kalmadi and Chautala has been declared "null and void" in order to get the recognition of the Sports Ministry and also to avoid any possible action from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Kalmadi and Chautala were elevated to the honorary position at the IOA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Chennai on December 27, but the Olympic body was forced to reverse its decision after it was opposed by a majority of IOA members. "Both Kamaldi and Chautala's appointments have been declared null and void as after going through all the documents of the AGM we found out that there were technical fault in the decision," a top IOA official said. "Kamaldi and Chautala are no longer part of IOA and have nothing to do with IOA," the official added. The current move can be termed as a complete U-turn from the IOA which has been suspended by the Sports Ministry for making the controversial appointments. The Ministry said IOA's suspension will continue until it decides to reverse its decision of appointing Kalmadi and Chautala as its life presidents. In fact, newly-appointed International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Narinder Batra also resigned as the Olympic body's associate vice-president in protest. While Kalmadi is an accused in the 2010 Commonwealth Games corruption scam and has also spent nine months in jail, Chautala is facing a trial in disproportionate assets case. However, Kalmadi hasn't accepted the honourary post until he gets a clean chit from the court, Chautala was defiant and decided to stick to his position until he was asked by the IOC to do so. (PTI)

IOA cancels Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Chautala's appointments

The Indian federal government on Friday temporarily suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for appointing tainted politicians Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as life presidents on December 27.

The appointment of Chautala and Kalmadi as life presidents led to widespread criticism, prompting the Sports Ministry to issue a show cause notice to the IOA on Wednesday. The ministry had warned it would cut all ties with the national Olympic body until Kalmadi and Chautala were removed. 
 
The government took the decision after IOA failed to reply to its show cause notice with the deadline ending at 5 pm today, PTI reported.

The IOA, on its part, had sought 15-days time from the Sports Ministry stating that its president N Ramachandran was out of the country. 
 
&quot;The government can&#39;t approve of wrong things. The show cause notice issued to the IOA was a serious one but they didn&#39;t respond and instead sought 15 days time. So the government has decided to suspend IOA till the time they withdraw the appointments,&quot; Sports Minister Vijay Goel said, adding that the government considered the IOA&#39;s reply only as a ploy to buy time.

&quot;The IOA now can&#39;t take any financial assistance, facilities and privileges from the government till the time they are suspended,&quot; Goel added.

The government was not satisfied with the response of IOA since they have not given any substantive reply especially with regard to the non-eligibility of Kalmadi and Chautala.

The IOA will now cease to enjoy the privileges and prerogatives bestowed on it by the government as the National Olympic Committee (NOC). 
 
&quot;This is a serious violation of the norms of good governance by IOA which is the mother sports body and corrective action needs to be taken immediately as it is a matter of national prestige and public sentiments.

&quot;Although the government has utmost respect for the Olympic Charter and is committed to protecting the autonomy of sports, it cannot remain a mute spectator to blatant violation of principles of ethic and good governance by IOA, thereby putting the image and prestige of the country at stake,&quot; the Minister said.

&quot;By appointing charge sheeted persons the IOA has flouted all rules and regulations mentioned in its own Constitution and that of International Olympic Committee.

Sports Minister Vijay Goel had criticised the IOA&#39;s appointment saying that the move was &quot;totally unacceptable&quot; as both Kalmadi and Chautala were facing serious criminal and corruption charges.

Kalmadi, a former IOA president, eventually declined the post on December 29, amid increasing clamour for his removal.

Chautala remained defiant, threatening legal action against Sports Minister Vijay Goel, asserting that he would decline the post only if told to do so by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).&nbsp;

Meanwhile, on Friday, International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Narinder Batra resigned as associate vice-president of the IOA to protest the scam-tainted duo&#39;s appointment.

&quot;I am disturbed about a development in IOA AGM in Chennai on December 27. I am told by the members present in the AGM that this particular discussion, i.e nomination of Life President, took place as last item in `any other item` and was proposed and approved in a total of one minute without any discussion,&quot; Batra said in a letter to IOA President N. Ramachandran and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta.

Chautala, legislator from the Indian National Lok Dal in the Haryana government, served as the president of the IOA from December 2012 to February 2014. He has been charged in a disproportionate assets case and is being investigated by the CBI.

Kalmadi served as the IOA president from 1996 to 2011 and was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games corruption scandal. He spent 10 months in prison and was later released on bail.

(WION with inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

Indian Olympic Association faced severe publich backlash for picking tainted politicians as its life presidents

The Indian federal government on Friday temporarily suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for appointing tainted politicians Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as life presidents on December 27. The appointment of Chautala and Kalmadi as life presidents led to widespread criticism, prompting the Sports Ministry to issue a show cause notice to the IOA on Wednesday. The ministry had warned it would cut all ties with the national Olympic body until Kalmadi and Chautala were removed. The government took the decision after IOA failed to reply to its show cause notice with the deadline ending at 5 pm today, PTI reported. The IOA, on its part, had sought 15-days time from the Sports Ministry stating that its president N Ramachandran was out of the country. "The government can't approve of wrong things. The show cause notice issued to the IOA was a serious one but they didn't respond and instead sought 15 days time. So the government has decided to suspend IOA till the time they withdraw the appointments," Sports Minister Vijay Goel said, adding that the government considered the IOA's reply only as a ploy to buy time. "The IOA now can't take any financial assistance, facilities and privileges from the government till the time they are suspended," Goel added. The government was not satisfied with the response of IOA since they have not given any substantive reply especially with regard to the non-eligibility of Kalmadi and Chautala. The IOA will now cease to enjoy the privileges and prerogatives bestowed on it by the government as the National Olympic Committee (NOC). "This is a serious violation of the norms of good governance by IOA which is the mother sports body and corrective action needs to be taken immediately as it is a matter of national prestige and public sentiments. "Although the government has utmost respect for the Olympic Charter and is committed to protecting the autonomy of sports, it cannot remain a mute spectator to blatant violation of principles of ethic and good governance by IOA, thereby putting the image and prestige of the country at stake," the Minister said. "By appointing charge sheeted persons the IOA has flouted all rules and regulations mentioned in its own Constitution and that of International Olympic Committee. Sports Minister Vijay Goel had criticised the IOA's appointment saying that the move was "totally unacceptable" as both Kalmadi and Chautala were facing serious criminal and corruption charges. Kalmadi, a former IOA president, eventually declined the post on December 29, amid increasing clamour for his removal. Chautala remained defiant, threatening legal action against Sports Minister Vijay Goel, asserting that he would decline the post only if told to do so by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Meanwhile, on Friday, International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Narinder Batra resigned as associate vice-president of the IOA to protest the scam-tainted duo's appointment. "I am disturbed about a development in IOA AGM in Chennai on December 27. I am told by the members present in the AGM that this particular discussion, i.e nomination of Life President, took place as last item in `any other item` and was proposed and approved in a total of one minute without any discussion," Batra said in a letter to IOA President N. Ramachandran and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta. Chautala, legislator from the Indian National Lok Dal in the Haryana government, served as the president of the IOA from December 2012 to February 2014. He has been charged in a disproportionate assets case and is being investigated by the CBI. Kalmadi served as the IOA president from 1996 to 2011 and was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games corruption scandal. He spent 10 months in prison and was later released on bail. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Indian govt temporarily suspends Olympic body over dubious appointments

Tainted former Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Abhay Singh Chautala has hit back at sports minister Vijay Goel for his criticism of former&#39;s appointment as life president of the national Olympic body, and insisted that he would not step down from the post unless the International Olympic Committee disputes his elevation.

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I will leave my position in IOA if IOC gives ruling against my holding the honorary post.President,IOA is likely to take it up soon with IOC
&mdash; Abhay Chautala (@Abhay4Haryana) <a href="https://twitter.com/Abhay4Haryana/status/814418415997710336">December 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Goel had on Tuesday criticised the IOA for making the tainted duo of Suresh Kalmadi and Chautala life presidents, saying that the move was &quot;totally unacceptable&quot; as both of them were facing serious criminal and corruption charges.

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<h5>After sports minister Vijay Goel called the appointments &#39;totally unacceptable&#39;, Kalmadi decided to step down from the post</h5>
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As per sources, the decision to appoint Chautala and Kalmadi as life presidents was unanimous. A resolution was moved by Joint Secretary Rakesh Gupta and a total of 150 people, who were a part of the meeting in Chennai, agreed to it.

&quot;Vijay Goel should first realize against whom he is making such allegations. How can he say that there are criminal charges against me? I will definitely send a notice to him for making such allegations,&quot; Chautala said.

The Sports Ministry on Wednesday decided to issue a showcause notice to the IOA and has said that all ties will be cut with the national Olympic body until Kalmadi and Chautala are&nbsp;removed.

Reacting to this, Chautala said, &quot;With what authority he has sent a showcause notice to the IOA? IOA is not a subordinate body of the government. It is an independent body. No one can ask such questions from the IOA. They cannot send such a notice to the IOA.&quot;

Kalmadi has voluntarily decided to step down from the post, confirmed his counsel Hitesh Jain.

&quot;Voluntarily he is stepping down and will not hold the post till his name is not cleared by court,&quot; Jain told ANI.Chautala, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader, however said that he won&#39;t step down from the post.

&quot;Baseless things are being said. A conspiracy is being hatched to malign the image of sports. I won&#39;t step down at any cost till these things are exposed,&quot; he said.Kalmadi has been facing corruption charges for misappropriation of funds during the hosting of 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

He served as the IOA president from 1996 to 2011 and was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games corruption scandal but later released on bail.

Meanwhile, Chautala was earlier this month certified as the chief of the Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) by the IOA.

Chautala served as the president of the IOA from December 2012 to February 2014 when the IOA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for fielding charge-sheeted candidates at the elections.

His election as IOA chief was annulled by the IOC.Only after the IOA Constitution was amended to ensure that charge-framed candidates are not allowed to contest elections, the IOC revoked the suspension on IOA in February 2014.

(ANI)&nbsp;

Sports minister Vijay Goel had on Tuesday criticised the IOA for making Abhay Singh Chautala and Suresh Kalmadi life presidents

Tainted former Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Abhay Singh Chautala has hit back at sports minister Vijay Goel for his criticism of former's appointment as life president of the national Olympic body, and insisted that he would not step down from the post unless the International Olympic Committee disputes his elevation. I will leave my position in IOA if IOC gives ruling against my holding the honorary post.President,IOA is likely to take it up soon with IOC — Abhay Chautala (@Abhay4Haryana) December 29, 2016 × Goel had on Tuesday criticised the IOA for making the tainted duo of Suresh Kalmadi and Chautala life presidents, saying that the move was "totally unacceptable" as both of them were facing serious criminal and corruption charges. After sports minister Vijay Goel called the appointments 'totally unacceptable', Kalmadi decided to step down from the post × As per sources, the decision to appoint Chautala and Kalmadi as life presidents was unanimous. A resolution was moved by Joint Secretary Rakesh Gupta and a total of 150 people, who were a part of the meeting in Chennai, agreed to it. "Vijay Goel should first realize against whom he is making such allegations. How can he say that there are criminal charges against me? I will definitely send a notice to him for making such allegations," Chautala said. The Sports Ministry on Wednesday decided to issue a showcause notice to the IOA and has said that all ties will be cut with the national Olympic body until Kalmadi and Chautala are removed. Reacting to this, Chautala said, "With what authority he has sent a showcause notice to the IOA? IOA is not a subordinate body of the government. It is an independent body. No one can ask such questions from the IOA. They cannot send such a notice to the IOA." Kalmadi has voluntarily decided to step down from the post, confirmed his counsel Hitesh Jain. "Voluntarily he is stepping down and will not hold the post till his name is not cleared by court," Jain told ANI.Chautala, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader, however said that he won't step down from the post. "Baseless things are being said. A conspiracy is being hatched to malign the image of sports. I won't step down at any cost till these things are exposed," he said.Kalmadi has been facing corruption charges for misappropriation of funds during the hosting of 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. He served as the IOA president from 1996 to 2011 and was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games corruption scandal but later released on bail. Meanwhile, Chautala was earlier this month certified as the chief of the Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) by the IOA. Chautala served as the president of the IOA from December 2012 to February 2014 when the IOA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for fielding charge-sheeted candidates at the elections. His election as IOA chief was annulled by the IOC.Only after the IOA Constitution was amended to ensure that charge-framed candidates are not allowed to contest elections, the IOC revoked the suspension on IOA in February 2014. (ANI)

Chautala: Will step down from IOA life president's post if IOC objects

A defiant Indian Olympic Association (IOA) sought to brazen it out even as the clamour for a rollback grew louder today after the scam-tainted duo of Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala were elevated to life presidents of the sporting body.

The aftershocks of the IOA&#39;s decision, which was heavily criticised by sports minister Vijay Goel in a hurriedly-called press conference last night, became stronger in intensity today.

The IOA top brass could not be reached after the shocking move even as Chautala came out to defend himself by launching an attack on Goel.

However, that did little to douse the fire and Goel was joined by Ajay Maken, the sports minister in the previous government, who also criticised the move and called it &quot;sad and painful.&quot;

&quot;As a former sports minister and sports enthusiast, the IOA&#39;s decision to appoint Kalmadi and Chautala as life presidents of IOA is sad and very painful. This decision is not good for sports and India&#39;s image,&quot; Ajay Maken told the press today.

&quot;I request the sports minister not only to convey his reservations but take strong actions to reverse the decision. All the national sports federations are funded by the sports ministry, so the government should exercise its full powers to reverse the decision. If they do so there is no reason the matter can&#39;t be resolved,&quot; he added.

Chautala, on the other hand, wondered what the fuss was all about, going to the extent of ridiculing Goel for expressing pain on his appointment.

&quot;I was surprised by the reaction of sports minister Vijay Goel. He was claiming that there are criminal and corruption cases against me. The case against me is not a criminal case, it is a political case,&quot; a livid Chautala said.

&quot;Mr Goel has failed in his responsibility as a sports minister. I would advise him to fulfil his responsibility as sports minister because if he does that, our medal count will increase manifold and he will get credit for that. Instead of getting into a controversy without knowing full facts, he should focus on his job,&quot; he added.

Chautala also said that he had done enough for Olympic sports in India to deserve the IOA life president&#39;s post.

Maken, meanwhile, also questioned BJP MP Anurag Thakur, BJP-ally Shiromoni Akali Dal MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and IOA sitting vice-president Tarlochan Singh for not opposing the appointments being a part of the AGM.

&quot;Today when we are talking about eradicating corruption and graft from the country we are bringing back such tainted individuals. What is the message the IOA is giving?&quot; he asked.

&quot;Anurag Thakur, Dhindsa and Tarlochan Singh were all part of IOA Executive Committee and were there at the meeting yesterday. I request them all to take back the decision for the image of the country,&quot; Maken added. 
 
(PTI)

The IOA's decision, which was criticised by sports minister Vijay Goel in a hurriedly-called press conference last night, gained in intensity today

A defiant Indian Olympic Association (IOA) sought to brazen it out even as the clamour for a rollback grew louder today after the scam-tainted duo of Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala were elevated to life presidents of the sporting body. The aftershocks of the IOA's decision, which was heavily criticised by sports minister Vijay Goel in a hurriedly-called press conference last night, became stronger in intensity today. The IOA top brass could not be reached after the shocking move even as Chautala came out to defend himself by launching an attack on Goel. However, that did little to douse the fire and Goel was joined by Ajay Maken, the sports minister in the previous government, who also criticised the move and called it "sad and painful." "As a former sports minister and sports enthusiast, the IOA's decision to appoint Kalmadi and Chautala as life presidents of IOA is sad and very painful. This decision is not good for sports and India's image," Ajay Maken told the press today. "I request the sports minister not only to convey his reservations but take strong actions to reverse the decision. All the national sports federations are funded by the sports ministry, so the government should exercise its full powers to reverse the decision. If they do so there is no reason the matter can't be resolved," he added. Chautala, on the other hand, wondered what the fuss was all about, going to the extent of ridiculing Goel for expressing pain on his appointment. "I was surprised by the reaction of sports minister Vijay Goel. He was claiming that there are criminal and corruption cases against me. The case against me is not a criminal case, it is a political case," a livid Chautala said. "Mr Goel has failed in his responsibility as a sports minister. I would advise him to fulfil his responsibility as sports minister because if he does that, our medal count will increase manifold and he will get credit for that. Instead of getting into a controversy without knowing full facts, he should focus on his job," he added. Chautala also said that he had done enough for Olympic sports in India to deserve the IOA life president's post. Maken, meanwhile, also questioned BJP MP Anurag Thakur, BJP-ally Shiromoni Akali Dal MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and IOA sitting vice-president Tarlochan Singh for not opposing the appointments being a part of the AGM. "Today when we are talking about eradicating corruption and graft from the country we are bringing back such tainted individuals. What is the message the IOA is giving?" he asked. "Anurag Thakur, Dhindsa and Tarlochan Singh were all part of IOA Executive Committee and were there at the meeting yesterday. I request them all to take back the decision for the image of the country," Maken added. (PTI)

BJP calls for Suresh Kalmadi, Abhay Singh Chautala's removal as IOA life presidents