TAINTED KALMADI GETS PLUM POST
CHENNAI: Commonwealth Games corruption scandal tainted Suresh Kalmadi was on Tuesday made the life president of Indian Olympic Association in its Annual General Body Meeting here.
Another tainted official Abhay Singh Chautala was also made the life president by the IOA.
Before Kalmadi and Chautala, only Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who served as acting IOA chief between 2011 and 2012, was made the life president, according to IOA’S official website.
Kalmadi served as IOA pres- ident 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.
The Pune-born administrator, also a former Congress Member of Parliament, was a powerful sports officials in his heydays. He was the president of Asian Athletics Association for 13 years from 2000 to 2013. He was last year made life president of the Asian athletics body.
Kalmadi, now 72, was also a member of the powerful ruling council of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) from 2001 to 2013.
Chautala served as the president of Indian Olympic Association from December 2012 to February 2014 when the IOA was suspended by the parent International Olympic Committee for fielding chargesheeted 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.
Chautala had served as president of erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation which was terminated from recognition in the world body AIBA in 2013 for possible manipulation in IABF elections. Recently, he was elected as president of one rival faction of the Haryana Olympic Association, which was reportedly given recognition by the IOA.
Kalmadi served as 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
NEW DELHI: In the presence of Indian football stars, including striker Sunil Chhetri and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the 10th edition of I-league was launched here on Tuesday amid much fanfare.
India’s premier domestic football competition will see a return of representation from all four regions of the country -- Mohun Bangan, East Bengal, Aizwal FC and Shillong Lajong from the East and North East; Mumbai FC, DSK Shivajians and Churchil Brothers from the West; Bengaluru FC and Chennai City FC from the South and debutants Minerva Punjab will bring the North back into top flight Indian football after a gap of five seasons.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel said: “The 10 participating teams in the 10th edition of the Hero I-league are based from across the length and breadth of the country. I thank Hero MotoCorp for their support to the I-league and Indian football.
“The league is the unifying factor for the football fans in India as right from Aizwal FC in the North-east to Mumbai FC in Mumbai, and from Minerva City Punjab FC in Chandigarh to Chennai City FC in Chennai, the clubs represent pan India. The Hero I-league is the premiere league of the country through which teams participate in the AFC Cup and the AFC Champions League. I wish success to all the participating teams.”
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said: “The competitive spirit of the I-league has been outstanding. The League witnessed a substantial increase in spectator attendance and expecting the graph to further go up.”