Sports Ministry sends showcause Notice to IOA; Suresh Kalmadi declines Post

Following barrage of criticism, Suresh Kalmadi on Wednesday declined the post of the Indian Olympic Association’s life President.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Wednesday issued a showcause notice to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) over the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as Life Presidents.

“Transparency & accountability is vital in sports; until Kalmadi & Chautala resign or are removed, we will not deal with IOA in any form”, Sports Minister Vijay Goel tweeted today.

Chautala was the president from December 2012 to February 2014 and Kalmadi had been the president from 1996 to 2011. The duo were unanimously selected as IOA life Presidents by 150 members in attendance.

Notably, Kalmadi was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the 2010 Commonwealth Games corruption scandal and was later released on bail.