Ministry to look into terms of IOA, NSF office-bearers

The government’s guidelines for the Indian Olympic Association and the NSFs prescribe that office-bearers’ term should not exceed eight years but these guidelines have been kept in ‘abeyance since October 2001’.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports MS Gill said the ministry was keeping track of the various court cases in which the long tenures have been challenged and is concerned about the development. “In addition to these cases, issues concerning mismanagement of NSFs, including flagrant violation of the tenure restrictions, have been raised,” he said. “In view of the above developments, the government is seized of the concerns raised from various quarters, on the tenure issue and is in the process of reviewing the whole matter in consultation with all stakeholders, including sports bodies,” he added.

Suresh Kalmadi has been IOA president for over 15 years and several other administrators have hung on to their posts for very long tenures in NSFs also. Meanwhile, the Sports Ministry also announced that as many as 8,122 athletes and 2,577 officials are expected for this year’s CWG.