IOA to discuss Kalmadi's replacement on May 23

Following sports minister Ajay Maken's public statement that arrested Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi should be replaced as its president, the Indian Olympic Association will meet on May 23 to discuss the issue.

Maken had written to IOA general secretary Raja Randhir Singh asking him to hold a meeting of the general body and elect a new president, since the country's image suffers when leaders of the sports bodies around the world talk about Kalmadi and the charges of corruption against him.

'In keeping and maintaining the fair image of sports in India, the government would like the IOA to consider appointing an alternate president in place of the present incumbent for managing the affairs of the IOA,' Maken had said soon after Kalmadi was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

"There is lot of resentment amongst the members of the general body. We are meeting on May 23 to discuss the issue, and modalities would be worked out for election of the new president," an office-bearer of the IOA told rediff.com in an informal chat.

According to some IOA officials, even the international body has decided not to back Kalmadi, who headed the country's apex sports body for 15 years, as he has allegedly done enormous damage to the world sports body too by indulging in corruption.

A letter to this effect was received by the IOA headquarters in Delhi.

Following Kalmadi's arrest, Vijay Kumar Malhotra was named interim president, as rules and regulations of the IOA stipulate that in the absence of the president, a senior vice-president will discharge his duties.

Malhotra is keen to continue in office, and, hence, supports the election of a new official in place of Kalmadi. He is likely to get support from most members as he is believed to have a clean image.

The CBI arrested Kalmadi on April 25, for buying TSR (Timing Scoring and Result) equipment from a Swiss firm, Swiss Timing, at an inflated price of Rs 141 crore, for the Commonwealth Games, which Delhi hosted last October.

Former CWG Organising committee Joint Director-General (Sports) A S V Prasad and former Deputy Director-General (Procurement) Surjit Lal were also arrested by the CBI for their involvement in the scam and remanded to judicial custody with Kalmadi.