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indian sports The four IOA musketeers who called the shots
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indian sports
WHEN the Indian Olympic Association adopted the new national sports code guidelines on age and tenure limits, it ended up invoking the wrath of the International Olympic Committee and a suspension. Now as the government and sports bodies battle it out, at stake is national pride and aspirations of sportspersons.
The stand-off between the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and National Sports Federations (NSFs) on the National Sports Development Code issue is degenerating into a street fight as personal egos, unbending attitudes and political polarisation have plunged Indian sports into an abyss. It all started with the IOA election process, in which the sports code was included at the direction of the Delhi High Court. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was not amused. It felt the code was a violation of the Olympic Charter as it would impinge upon the autonomy and constitution of the IOA. The IOC is protective about the autonomy of a constituent National Olympic Committee (NOC) as it deals with the committee and not any government. Axe falls The IOC discussed the issue at its executive board meeting at Lausanne on December 4 (a day ahead of the IOA elections) as a priority item even though it was listed as the 20th item on the agenda and passed a resolution to "suspend" the IOA. "The IOA is faced with outside interference in applying its election rules, which threatens the IOA’s autonomy and the holding of free and fair elections in conformity with the IOA statutes and the Olympic Charter: and the IOA has been unable to observe its own statutes and the Olympic Charter and to enforce the basic principles of ethics and good governance," IOC president Jacques Rogge’s letter to acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra and secretary-general Randhir Singh noted. The IOC was also peeved that Lalit Bhanot, who is facing cases pertaining to the Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam, was allowed to contest for the post of secretary-general and the IOA gave voting rights to non-Olympic sports. The IOC action will deny the country participation in international sports events such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games under the national flag, though the athletes would be free to compete under the IOC flag. (This ambiguity can deny an athlete the awards offered by the government, for if an athlete wins a medal competing under the IOC flag, the government may not recognise it as an achievement of the country). The suspension also means the IOA will be denied any grants from the IOC. The IOC letter stated: "The IOC executive board decided that, with this suspension, the IOA is no longer entitled to exercise any activity or right conferred upon it by the Olympic Charter or the IOC. In particular, the IOC will withhold any financial assistance to the IOA". The IOA is also "not entitled to hold any elections" without the "express prior" approval of the IOC. In good measure, the letter added: "The IOC very much regrets this decision, which the IOA and the relevant authorities have forced the IOC to take, despite the IOC’s goodwill and endeavour for more than two years to avoid such an outcome". It’s ironic that Rogge has suspended an NOC whose headquarters, Olympic Bhawan, was inaugurated by him in 2007, when Suresh Kalmadi was the IOA president. Govt played dirty? The IOC action led to a flurry of charges and countercharges. The IOA held the government responsible, contending it was the intransigent attitude of the government that led to the impasse. The IOA had resisted the code when the government tried to foist it on it as well as the NSFs. The IOA had reasoned the government was adopting coercive methods to usurp the democratic and autonomous functioning of sports bodies. It wondered why only sports officials were targeted for age and tenure limits while no bar was put on politicians and others, who could continue as members of Parliament and other elected bodies for eternity. The government, however, took a strident stand, saying since the IOA and NSFs were sustaining with the funds doled out by it, they should follow its guidelines. The government seeks a definite say in the kind of people who get elected and the manner in which funds are used to prevent vested interests from taking a stranglehold. After the IOC suspension, the Sports Ministry should have acted fast to get the matter sorted out by parleying with representatives of the IOC, IOA and NSFs. The initial reaction of the ministry was encouraging, when it termed the IOC action as "very unfortunate". "The Government of India strongly feels the IOC’s decision to attribute suspension to government interference in the IOA’s election process is entirely misplaced as the sports code includes such age and tenure guidelines for office-bearers of the sports bodies as enshrined in the Olympic Charter itself. They are similar to the practices followed by the IOC and are drawn from the constitution of the IOC, and have been upheld by the courts of law of India. All that the sports code seeks to achieve is to ensure the election of the IOA and other sports bodies are fair and in consonance with the Olympic Charter”, the government had stated on December 5, the day the IOA elections were held. The events that unfolded after the elections were revealing. The government started singing a different tune following the near-unanimous election of the Abhay Singh Chautala panel, including secretary-general Lalit Bhanot. It got into “action mode” when it de-recognised the Archery Association of India, suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), and set aside the election of the top three office-bearers of the Athletics Federation of India for “procedural lapses”. The elections to these bodies were held a couple of months before the IOA contest, but it took the IOC action to get the ministry cracking to “discipline” errant sports federations. Suddenly, the sports scenario looked topsy-turvy, with the IOC also shooting off another letter to the IOA, warning of severe consequences if the IOC grant was used by the newly-elected office-bearers, whom it did not recognise. It has made clear that it would prefer status quo in the IOA, with acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra and secretary-general Randhir Singh continuing in their posts. The somersault by the government and the IOC did not come as a surprise to those who follow sports politics closely. For, after the IOA elections it became apparent that the fight was on party lines (Congress versus those from other political outfits) as the new IOA team comprised “anti-Congress” office-bearers.
What is the sports code A sports official over the age of 70 cannot contest in the IOA or NSF elections. No official can seek re-election after completing two consecutive terms; can re-contest after a one-term break. Though some federations have orally accepted the code, they have not included them in their constitution; Archery Association of India has refused to comply with the code.
What is wrong with it Age and tenure limits on sports officials; no such bar on politicians. Threatens IOA's autonomy; holding elections in conformity with its statutes. The IOA was forced to include it following a directive by the Delhi High Court; IOC insists it follows its own constitutions statutes and the Olympic Charter.
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The four IOA musketeers who called the shots
Vijay Kumar Malhotra It was 80-year-old Malhotra, who took archery to the top, once regarded as a sport practiced at the back and beyond. He had also been a regular fixture in the executive council of the IOA as a member, vice-president and senior vice-president till he became the Acting President two years ago when Suresh Kalmadi exited following the CWG row. He objected to the sports code guidelines as he had maintained he could run the AAI without government funding. He would not accept the code "which has no legal sanctity", and true to his words, he contested the AAI elections recently and won with a thumping margin. No wonder, those who are in the know say former Sports Minister Ajay Maken tried to push through the code to target Malhotra. The government de-recognised the AAI only because of Malhotra's re-election.
Abhay Singh Chautala Randhir Singh When he competed in his last Asian Games at Hiroshima in 1994, he was the secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia, a post he still holds. He was elected to the IOA as joint secretary in 1984 and secretary-general in 1987. The halo surrounding his image took a beating when he entered the fray for the post of president against Abhay Singh Chautala, despite making an announcement that "in the 2012 general assembly meeting of the IOA, I will not be standing for any post in the Olympic movement in India". That he went back on his words to file his papers and then pulled out fearing defeat, brought his image a few notches down. The new IOA body has also blamed him for the IOC suspension.
Dr Lalit Kumar Bhanot
THE NEW TEAM Abhay Singh Chautala Lalit Kumar Bhanot N Ramachandran Virendra Nanavathi Vice-presidents Dr Akhilesh Dasgupta Joint-secretaries Anandeshwar Pandey IOC members Narender Batra Executive Council members VN Nanavati
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He has been the smiling face of Delhi politics for the last six decades, decimating his opponents from within the BJP and outside. He has always wielded power in some form, and has donned many political hats — four times as a Delhi MP in the Lok Sabha, once in the Rajya Sabha, numerous times as member of the Delhi Metropolitan Council and now as the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly. He got into sports administration over 40 years ago when he was elected to the helm of the Archery Association of India (AAI). 
Though he has been an office-bearer of the IOA for the past many years, he earned his spurs as a sports administrator after he became the president of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF). He brought order into the federation to take the sport to dizzy heights, putting Indian boxing on the world map. Though he had tried to contest against Kalmadi, he backed out when he realised he did not have the numbers. But the Chautala brothers took over the boxing and table tennis bodies to make a name for themselves as competent administrators. When Abhay threw his hat into the IOA election ring with all his persuasive might, it became evident he would sail through. Randhir Singh pulled out when Abhay won over his rival camp followers. In the recent weeks, Abhay has unleashed his latent charm to prove that there was more to him than his hitherto known image of a rustic politician from the hinterland of Haryana.
His credentials as a sportsman are impeccable. He has the unique record of competing in six Olympic Games and was the first to win an Asiad gold in double trap shooting at Bangkok in 1978. He started participating in multi-sport events since the first Asian Games in Delhi in 1951. His father's elder brother, Maharaja Adhiraj Yadavendra Singh of Patiala, was the founder-president of the Asian Games movement and was responsible for hosting the inaugural Asiad in Delhi. His father, Raja Bhalendra Singh, was IOC member from 1947 to 1992, and was the president of the IOA for several terms. Randhir Singh easily slipped into the shoes of his father as an IOC member and secretary-general of the IOA without a break for 24 years. 
Though he is now famous for his alleged involvement in the CWG scam, he has been the known face of Indian athletics administration long before Kalmadi made his debut as the president of the Athletics Federation of India (earlier known as the Amateur Athletics Federation of India). Bhanot was the physical education director at a Delhi University college. His involvement with athletics was not just professional, but also personal. His wife, Vijay Mala, was the country's number one shot put and discus thrower who had won many international medals, fetching her the Arjuna Award. His rise was on account of his proximity to Kalmadi, which culminated in him becoming the secretary-general of the CWG organising committee. A meticulous organiser, Bhanot played a key role in the successful conduct of many athletic competitions. — MS Unnikrishnan
