IOA ends feud over CEO, sets up anti-doping panel after IOC flags high cases

New Delhi: Ending a lengthy feud, the Indian Olympic Association's Executive Council on Thursday ratified the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer and set up a panel to tackle doping after India's poor record was flagged by the IOC during a national delegation's visit to push for the 2036 Olympic bid.

The EC members had refused to ratify Iyer's appointment made by President P T Usha in January 2024, the bone of contention being his Rs 20 lakh per month salary along with other perks.

However, the differences on this matter were resolved following Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's intervention, paving the way for Iyer's formal appointment.

The seven-member anti-doping panel will be headed by former tennis player Rohit Rajpal and include 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," said Iyer, who was present during a joint press conference by the IOA EC members and Usha.

The IOA delegation to Lausanne last month included sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Usha and Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi among others. India is bidding to host the 2036 Games in Ahmedabad.

India had last month topped the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 testing figures among countries which analysed 5,000 or more samples with a high positivity rate of 3.8 per cent for banned substances.

Sports Bill welcome

After opposing it for a considerable time, the new sports bill, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, was finally welcomed by the IOA.

"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," Usha said.

The bill, once it becomes an act, will lead to the institution of a National Sports Board that will be authorised to grant recognition to national federations and regulate their funding as well.

"New National Sports Bill should not be construed as intervention from Sports ministry but as cooperation and coordination with the stakeholders including IOA and NSFs (National Sports Federations)," said IOA joint secretary Kalyan 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 is also the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).