The sports ministry has reacted strongly to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha’s recognition of the Indian Golf Union elections won by the Harish Kumar Shetty-led faction. Urging the IOA to follow its constitution and the National Sports Code. On December 15, two elections were held under distinct returning officers, which has raised concerns about IGU polls. The sports ministry acknowledged the polls in which incumbent Brijinder Singh won a second term as president.
IOA president Usha extended recognition to the Shetty group following a review of the two AGMs and elections. On Thursday, the sports ministry questioned Usha’s order. They questioned if the move was approved by the IOA executive committee or its affiliation committee. The sports ministry stated that it recognised the Singh-led IGU based on reports from its observer. As well as the International Golf Federation’s recognition of the elections on its website.
According to reports, some IOA executive council members have already written to the sports ministry. They claimed that they were not consulted about the IGU affiliation and that Usha made an “arbitrary” decision. The IOA has been in a crisis, with Usha and the executive board members at odds. An emergency executive committee meeting in September to debate CEO Raghuram Iyer’s nomination proved to be a tumultuous event.
Transparency at Stake
Since then, the executive council has accused Usha of making “unilateral” decisions on the conduct of the Uttarakhand National Games, elections, and state Olympic and national sports federation affiliation issues. Following the ministry’s letter, IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav, a member of its Affiliation and Dispute Committee, wrote to Usha. Calling her decisions regarding the IGU, Bihar, and Rajasthan Olympic bodies, as well as the creation of an ad hoc panel for the sport of curling, “illegal and unauthorised”.
On Thursday, Usha dissolved the Bihar Olympic Association (BOA) and appointed an ad hoc committee to administer the operations, while also awarding affiliation to one of the organisations in the Rajasthan polls. She issued the instructions based on the reports of fact-finding commissioners she had appointed. Yadav claimed that the IOA constitution did not allow her the right to make such decisions and that her instructions were “invalid and unenforceable.”
