Anju Bobby George, Malleswari told to resign as national observers

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 20

Two more national sports observers have fallen to the dreaded conflict of interest issue. Sydney Olympics bronze-medallist weightlifter Karnam Malleswari and long-jumper Anju Bobby George, a World Championships gold medallist, have been asked to tender their resignations.

The Sports Ministry sent this direction in a letter dated March 20, 2018, marked to five national observers, including Anju and Malleswari. “Subsequent to your appointment as national observers it has been brought to the notice of this ministry that you are either running academies/training centres or associated with such centres. With a view to avoid any possibility of conflict of interest, it would be appropriate that such person should not be continued as national observer,” the letter from Sports Ministry’s under-secretary AK Patro reads.

“It is therefore requested that you may tender your resignation at the earliest. This has the approval of Hon’ble MOS (IC) Youth Affairs and Sports,” the letter further stated.

No conflict: Anju

When contacted by The Tribune, Anju said she had no idea as to why the Sports Ministry raised the conflict of interest issue against her. “I haven’t seen the ministry’s mail yet. But I don’t have any such issue. Yes, my husband is attached to the junior programme, but that’s it. I am not involved in any coaching or training exercise,” Anju said.

“I’ll have to check with the ministry on this issue. Our academy is under construction right now and there is no training happening there. So I don’t understand this,” she added. The Anju Bobby Sports Academy is under construction in Bengaluru.

Karnam Malleswari said she would resign shortly. “I got the message today and I have no issues about putting in my papers,” she told The Tribune.

Bindra, Usha had resigned

Strangely, Patro’s letter has also been marked to Abhinav Bindra, PT Usha and former table tennis champion Kamlesh Mehta.

All three had pre-empted this and had put in their papers over the last few months. Bindra had announced his resignation on Twitter as national observer and chairman of the Target Olympics Podium identification committee on December 22, 2017. Mehta too had resigned and was not part of any meeting of the observers since December. PT Usha resigned from both responsibilities in January as athletes from her academy, including Tintu Luka and Jisna Mathew, were in line for government funding.

“I resigned a couple of months back. I don’t know why they are writing to me now!” Usha said. “I have not been part of any meetings since December last year,” Mehta said. 

12 names

Exactly a year ago, the government had appointed 12 national observers to implement the action plans for Mission Olympics 2020, 2024 and 2028. Apart from the above five named, those appointed in March 2017 were Sanjeev Kumar Singh (archery), Aparna Popat (badminton), MC Mary Kom and Akhil Kumar (boxing), Jagbir Singh (hockey), Somdev Devvarman (tennis), Sushil Kumar (wrestling), IM Vijayan (football) and Khajan Singh (swimming).

Of them, Sushil and Mary Kom too had resigned last year. The active observers are Jagbir, Vijayan, Akhil, Aparna, Devvarman, Khajan and Sanjeev Kumar.