IOC Wants Fair and Transparent IOA elections

The IOC has urged the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to hold fair and transparent Presidency elections later this month.

The IOA has an opportunity to clean up its image with controversial current President Suresh Kalmadi deciding not to stand for re-election.

Kalmadi was arrested in April 2011 on charges of inflating tenders worth millions of dollars for equipment used at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games that he headed.

He was released from prison on bail this January after nine months.

The Commonwealth Games were billed as India’s answer to the 2008 Beijing Olympics but controversy and arguments arose over leaking stadiums, poor accommodation for athletes and corruption scandals.

“Top priority for the IOC is integrity,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President, Thomas Bach, said. “Therefore a fair and transparent campaign for the presidency of the IOA is essential.”

“Only with the leadership of integrity can the IOA play the deserved important role in world sports and exploit the huge potential of sports in India,” said Bach.

India’s athletes returned from the year’s London Olympics with two silver and four bronze medals, the country’s biggest Olympic haul and equal to the collective tally of India’s previous seven campaigns.

“Six medals was a good harvest. However, a nation of 1.2 billion should do better,” Indian President Pranab Mukherjee said in August.

The favourites for IOA presidency are Indian Amateur Boxing Federation’s (IABF) Abhay Chautala and IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh.{jcomments on}