JOIN US Putting more pressure on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to act against Suresh Kalmadi, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shot off another letter to the country’s apex sports body to know what action it has taken on the sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman following the court cases.
In the letter addressed to Acting-President V K Malhotra, IOC has directed the IOA to furnish by March 1 the details on the latest status on Kalmadi and what action it was planning to take. This is the third missive the IOC has despatched to the IOA after Kalmadi was sent to jail on corruption charges in hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2010 here.
Kalmadi, who was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on January 19, has decided to step aside as the IOA president though he has not officially resigned from the post yet. The IOA’s Executive Committee is to meet on March 2 to discuss the Kalmadi issue. The IOC had earlier asked the IOA for a report on Kalmadi’s “current and exact situation before the courts of justice”.
The IOC had in the earlier letter threatened to refer the case to its Ethics Commission at any moment, if the action taken by the IOA was not satisfactory.
“It is our understanding that, to date, your NOC has not taken any action or measure with respect to Kalmadi. We now ask you to send us a full and official report from your NOC about the current and exact situation of Kalmadi before the courts of justice,” the IOC’s earlier letter had stated.
“Depending on that situation, we assume that the competent organ(s) of your NOC would take the appropriate actions and decisions. It is indeed the primary responsibility of your NOC, as an organisation belonging to the Olympic Movement, to ensure full respect of the principles and rules of the IOC Code of Ethics and to preserve the reputation of the Olympic Movement in your country,” the letter said.