Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha strongly criticised 12 members of the governing body's Executive Committee (EC) for accusing her of 'autocratic; leadership.
PT Usha slams IOA's Executive Committee
This response came a day after these members wrote to Jerome Poivey, the Director of International Relations at the International Olympic Committee, levying what Usha deemed baseless allegations. In her pointed rebuttal, she also accused certain EC members of misappropriating funds and exhibiting gender bias, noting that some have faced complaints of sexual harassment. Usha further claimed that the EC members had stubbornly refused to record their meetings following disagreements over the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer. The tension escalated on Thursday when Usha and the EC members engaged in a heated confrontation, during which she firmly opposed the idea of removing Iyer from his position.
In a letter addressed to Jerome Poivey, the Head of IOC's Institutional Relations and Governance, members of the Executive Council (EC) of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) expressed their concerns about Usha's behavior. They accused her of adopting a ‘my way or the highway’ approach, which they believe is incompatible with the democratic principles outlined in the IOA constitution. The EC members voiced their deep concern about Usha's disregard for the opinions and concerns of her colleagues. They stated that her behavior has consistently led to a lack of progress and hindered the implementation of good governance practices within the IOA.
Take a look at PT Usha's letter
As the Indian Olympic Association President, it is disheartening for me to address the recent, false and baseless allegations made by 12 IOA Executive Council (EC) members, in a letter addressed to International Olympic Committee (IOC) Director of International Relations Mr. Jerome Poivey.
These accusations are only intended to malign my leadership and the efforts of those working diligently towards the betterment of Indian sports.
In my 45-year-long career as a sportsperson representing India at the highest levels of a competition, I have never encountered individuals so indifferent to the aspirations of our athletes and our nation's sporting future. Instead of supporting Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji's visionary goal of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games in India, these individuals seem more focused on self-serving power play and monetary gain through their prolonged presence and control in sports administration.
One of the most egregious claims made by these EC members is questioning Mr. Raghuram lyer's appointment as IOA Chief Executive Officer. It is important to clarify that his appointment, made in January 2024, was carried out in strict accordance with the IOA constitution.
As per Article 15.3.1 of the IOA Constitution:
"The 10A'S Executive Council shall appoint a Secretary General/CEO within 1 (one) month from the time such a position is vacated or is lying vacant due to any reason. The CEO shall be proposed by a nomination committee comprising of the President, chairman of the Athletes Commission and one IOC member from India. The nomination committee shall follow the due process of selection, including advertising the position, prior to the nomination of the CEO to the Executive Council. The CEO must be a person who is a management professional with management experience of at least 10 (ten) years as the CEO of a company/entity with a turnover of at least rupees 25 crores."
Despite the statutory deadline of a mere one (1) month to appoint a CEO, not even the process for selection was allowed to commence let alone appointment for almost two (2) years. In order to uphold the provisions of the IOA Constitution, notwithstanding the undue resistance from a majority of the EC, the Nomination Committee undertook the process of selection as envisaged in Article 15.3.1. For the purposes of accountability and transparency, the entire process undertaken by the Nomination Committee was minuted and duly shared with the entire Executive Committee during the January 2024 meeting.
To now question the process or the alleged 'exorbitant' salary payments made to him, is entirely false. It is pertinent to note here that his appointment was officially ratified in the January 2024 meeting. The said meeting has not only been video-graphed but also transcribed and minuted, all of which evidence the fact that a majority of the EC members accepted the appointment of Mr. lyer and requested and nominated me, as part of the EC, to only renegotiate the salary component.
In reality, despite his official appointment, Mr. Iyer has not been paid a single rupee till date. The delay in paying his salary is solely because certain EC members continue to defy the provisions of the IOA Constitution, obstructing necessary progress and decision-making. If these individuals were genuinely concerned about transparency, one must then question their vehement denial for recording of our Executive Council meetings. A true commitment to transparency would embrace accountability, but their actions clearly speak otherwise.
Further, it is essential to bring to light that some of these EC members have very questionable track records, including allegations of gender bias and even cases of sexual harassment filed against them. Recently, during the CAG audit, it has come to my attention that IOA Treasurer Mr. Sahdev Yadav, in connivance with the members of the IOA Finance Committee headed by Mr. Ajay Patel and comprising of Mrs. Rajlaxmi Singh Deo, Mr. BS Bajwa, Mr. Amitabh Sharma, Mr. Rohit Rajpal, Lt. Gen. Harpal Singh and Ms. Monal Choksi have surreptitiously written off large sums of monies owed to the IOA.
Additionally, a case of using the IOA's PAN card by the Ad hoc committee in charge of Volleyball, headed by Mr. Rohit Rajpal and its member Ms. Alaknanda Ashok, is also being investigated since it was done without the necessary approvals.
The former Acting CEO, Mr. Kalyan Chaubey bypassed IOA General Assembly to grant affiliation to the Taekwondo Federation of India, which is not recognised either by its World or Asian Federation, thereby causing imminent harm to our hard-working Taekwondo athletes. Despite these serious accusations, they continue to hold positions within IOA and other National Sports Federations.
In conclusion, I reiterate that this malicious letter from the 12 members of the IOA EC is part of a much broader attempt to hinder the progress of Indian sports and undermine the positive developments that we, as a collective, have worked hard to achieve, These actions not only tarnish the image of Indian sports but also do a disservice to the aspirations of our athletes and the nation's goal of becoming a global sporting powerhouse. I stand firm in my commitment to the values of integrity, transparency, and the upliftment of Indian sports. We will not let such baseless allegations derail our mission to empower our athletes and bring glory to our country on the global stage.
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