Suresh Kalmadi declines Indian Olympic Association life President's post

Suresh Kalmadi has declined the post of life president of the Indian Olympic Association. Speaking to CNN-News18, Kalmadi’s lawyer Hitesh Jain said that Kalmadi decided not to accept any official position till his name is cleared in all legal cases.

Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Chautala had been appointed life presidents of the Indian Olympic Association on Tuesday. Kalmadi was accused in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games scam for which he also served a nine-month jail term, while Chautala is the former Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) chief, whose term at the helm of IOA was riddled with controversy.

Addressing a press conference in response to the appointments yesterday, Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel said, "We are shocked at the resolution passed by the IOA to make Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Chautala life presidents. This is totally unacceptable to us, as both are facing serious corruption and criminal charges."

The Sports Minister further insisted that sports governance is a public function and should be governed by public law.

As per sources, the decision to appoint Chautala and Kalmadi as life presidents was unanimous. A resolution was moved by Joint Secretary Rakesh Gupta and a total of 150 people, who were a part of the meeting in Chennai, ratified it.