Suresh Kalmadi dies at 81: How CWG scam overshadowed his political legacy

A four-time MP and former Railways minister, Kalmadi was a key powerbroker in Pune and sports bodies, with his long career ultimately defined by the Commonwealth Games scandal

Former Union minister and Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi, who rose to prominence as one of Pune’s most influential politicians and a powerful figure in sports administration, died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 81.

 

Kalmadi began his professional life as a pilot in the Indian Air Force before moving into student politics. He became president of the Pune Youth Congress in 1977 and later rose to head the Indian Youth Congress, a post he held from 1981 to 1986.

Suresh Kalmadi's foray into politics

The Congress leader was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1982 and served four terms in the Upper House until 2004, during which he was part of several parliamentary committees.

 

 

He also served three terms as a Lok Sabha MP, winning his last election in 2009. Between 1995 and 1996, he was Union Minister of State for Railways.

 

Over several decades, Kalmadi built a strong organisational base in Pune and was known for his ability to retain political relevance across shifting phases, even as his electoral fortunes fluctuated.

Kalmadi's role in sports administration

Alongside politics, Kalmadi played a major role in sports administration. He held senior positions in national and international athletics bodies and became closely associated with India’s efforts to host and manage large multi-sport events.

 

He was the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1996 to 2012 and also served as the chief of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) from 2000 to 2013. His long tenure in AAA earned him recognition abroad, even as his standing at home grew increasingly controversial.

The Commonwealth Games controversy

Kalmadi’s public legacy came to be dominated by the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi, where he served as chairman of the organising committee. The event, intended to showcase India’s organisational capabilities, was overshadowed by allegations of large-scale irregularities in procurement and contracts, including those related to timing and scoring systems.

 

In 2011, he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with Games-related contracts and spent several months in custody before being granted bail. Subsequent investigations and court proceedings kept him out of active politics for years. In a separate case, a Delhi court in 2025 accepted the Enforcement Directorate’s closure report in a money laundering matter linked to the Games.

 

Despite the controversies, Kalmadi remained a familiar figure in Pune and within sporting circles. In 2016, the Indian Olympic Association named him a lifetime patron, a move that invited criticism and an intervention from the Union Sports Ministry. Kalmadi later declined the position, saying the timing was not appropriate for him to accept the honour.