New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Ending a prolonged feud, the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Executive Council ratified the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer on Thursday and established a panel to tackle doping, following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) criticism during India's pursuit of the 2036 Olympic bid.
The Executive Council had previously resisted confirming Iyer's appointment by President P.T. Usha in January 2024, mainly due to his Rs 20 lakh per month salary and additional perks.
Differences on this issue were resolved after Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya intervened, allowing for Iyer's formal appointment.
"Everything is sorted out, that is why the CEO (Iyer) is sitting with me. Otherwise, he would not have been sitting with me here," Usha stated at a press conference at the IOA headquarters with Iyer by her side.
Usha added, "It will now be very smooth functioning going ahead. Otherwise also, there was no break in IOA functioning. We did very well in the Paris Olympics and the Asian Games. We also conducted two National Games," reflecting on her tense relationship with 12 EC members over the past two years.
Kalyan Chaubey, IOA joint secretary, conveyed that the executive council meeting ratified Iyer's appointment.
"There were some differences. We won't say there were none. There were letters exchanged. But in democracy, when there are two people, two opinions, there are always differences of opinions out there. No house, no organization can be completely flawless.
"Rather, we are very happy that IOA is a house having differences of opinions. But right now, we want to look forward, look forward in the interest of the nation," said Iyer. He added, "The fact that all of us are here and I am also here means that everything is sorted out." However, it's understood that Iyer's salary package may undergo negotiation.
"He should not get too less but also not this high. His salary is a bit high by Indian standards, as compared to officials of CEO level in NSFs," an unnamed official disclosed to PTI.
Treasurer Sahdev Yadav downplayed the conflict that surfaced soon after the elections of office bearers in December 2022.
"There was a little bit of dispute, minor differences, but it was not a big issue. And we have sorted it out, there is no problem now, we are all together. We are looking ahead to the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and our 2036 Olympic bid and 2030 CWG bid," Yadav stated.
All executive council members, except for Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, Rajlaxmi Deo, and Mary Kom, attended the meeting.
Seven-member IOA Committee to Tackle Doping Menace
A seven-member anti-doping panel will be headed by non-playing Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal, with Aparna Popat and sports medicine expert PSM Chandran among others.
"The IOC (International Olympic Committee) mentioned high doping cases in India when IOA (delegation) visited Lausanne," noted Iyer during a joint press conference with the IOA EC members and Usha.
The IOA delegation to Lausanne included sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Usha, and Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi among others, as part of India's bid to host the 2036 Games in Ahmedabad.
Last month, India topped the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 testing figures among countries analyzing 5,000 or more samples with a high positivity rate of 3.8 percent for banned substances.
"IOA is launching a dedicated anti-doping education program with immediate effect. At the core of this initiative will be a seven-member IOA committee consisting of seasoned administrators and experts in athlete welfare and Olympic education," Rajpal announced.
"The committee will be responsible for designing and rolling out a sustained anti-doping education and awareness campaign targeting athletes at all levels from grassroots to elite, coaches and support staff, federation administrators and sports officials, and most importantly parents and guardians of young athletes,
"There are labs that are being at the moment looked into and analyzed. When they can come, more and more testing can happen, and those labs can be accredited for this program." Rajpal emphasized that drug peddlers selling supplements or performance-enhancing drugs in the open market will be dealt with strictly.
Sports Bill Welcome
After previously opposing it, the IOA has welcomed the new sports bill, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
"The IOC was concerned about two-three issues, but the ministry consulted the world body and other international federations, and then the bill was cleared," commented Usha.
Once enacted, this bill will establish a National Sports Board authorized to grant recognition to national federations and regulate their funding.
"The new National Sports Bill should not be seen as intervention from the Sports ministry but as cooperation and coordination with stakeholders including IOA and NSFs (National Sports Federations)," stated Chaubey.
"The new bill was very clear that whenever there is conflict in any provision with the statutes of international federations, those of latter will prevail," added Chaubey, who also presides over the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
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