Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 03 2010:
Government's bid to limit the tenure of sports administrators met with stiff resistance with IOA president Suresh Kalmadi and other angry bosses of sports bodies vowing to do everything to protect their autonomy.
Miffed administrators, many of whom are politicians who have occupied the post for more than a decade, made it clear that they would oppose the directive, setting the stage for a bitter standoff with the sports ministry.
"We have called an IOA Executive Committee meeting on May 18 and may convene a General Assembly meeting as well (to discuss the issue)," Kalmadi said.
Cracking down on the sports administrators who have monopolised most of the NSFs, the sports ministry on Sunday announced a new regulation which says federation presidents cannot continue more than 12 years, with or without break, while secretaries or treasurers can serve two terms of four years at a stretch and would have to take a four-year gap before they seek a re-election.
The regulation hurts Kalmadi, who has been at IOA's helm since 1996, while it also seeks to end the reigns of NSF chiefs V K Malhotra (archery), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (cycling), VK Verma (badminton), captain Satish K Sharma (aero club) and BS Adityan (volleyball), who have been occupying the top posts for more than a decade.
Insisting that the autonomy of the IOA and NSFs are paramount, a defiant Kalmadi said, "Our constitution goes to the International Olympic Council (IOC) and no one can meddle with that.
All NSFs also send their constitution to the respective international bodies and no one can interfere there either" .