Embattled IOA chief PT Usha opens up new front; calls Special General Meeting on Oct 25

New Delhi: A week after the Executive Committee thwarted her attempts to get the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer ratified, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha has convened a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the body on October 25 to address the various contentious issues that have stalled the working of the organisation.

The IOA chief has embroiled in a controversy recently when 12 EC members, which include Olympic medallists like Gagan Narang and Yogeshwar Dutt, Sehdev Yadav, etc., wrote a letter to senior IOC official Jerome Poivey accusing the legendary athlete of running the organisation in an "autocratic" manner.

Most of the EC members have questioned the appointment of Iyer as IOA Chief Executive Officer in January 2024, calling it a unilateral decision by the President and have refused to ratify it.

On the other hand, Usha has slammed the committee members for not felicitating the Paris Olympics medallist.

The Specific Agenda of the SGM includes the Show Cause Notice dated 10.9.2024 issued to IOA Treasurer Sahdev Yadav for filing false information with the IOA for the benefit of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) to write off Rs 1.75 crore of the loan amount due to the IOA and if any disciplinary action is to be taken against him. Sahdev Yadav is an office-bearer of the weightlifting federation.

The issue of the complaint dated 6.9.2024 received against the IOA treasurer regarding his alleged ineligibility to contest for the IOA election and if any decision or action is required to be taken for the same will also be discussed in the SGM.

The issue of the appointment of the CEO, who has been selected by the Nomination Committee of the IOA, will also be on the table during the AGM.

The Specific Agenda points of the SGM are;

1) To discuss the issue of loans to the tune of Rs 1.75 crore given to the Indian Weightlifting Federation for paying the doping fines of the IWLF. The monies owed by the IWLF is public money and is to be used for the development of the IOA and its members. In this context, to vote on whether:

(a) the same should be recovered from the IWLF along with interest as recommended by the previous Finance Committee in its minutes dated 18.4.2022 and the Controller Auditor General of India (CAG) in a letter dated 17.9.2024

or

(b) The amount should be written off as per the decision of the new Finance Committee and the IWLF shall not be required to refund INR 1.75 crore as loan to the IOA.

2) To discuss the issue of the complaint dated 6.9.2024 received against Bhupinder Singh Bajwa regarding his alleged ineligibility to contest for the IOA election and if any decision or action is required to be taken for the same.

3) To discuss the issue of the complaint dated 6.9.2024 received against Mrs. Rajalakshmi Singh Deo regarding her alleged ineligibility to contest for the IOA election and if any decision or action is required to be taken for the same.

4) To discuss the issue of the complaint dated 6.9.2024 received against Mrs. Alaknanda Ashok regarding her alleged ineligibility to contest for the IOA election and if any decision or action is required to be taken for the same.

5) To discuss the issue of the complaint dated 6.9.2024 received against Mr. Ajay Patel regarding his alleged ineligibility to contest for the IOA election and if any decision or action is required to be taken for the same.

6) To Discuss the Show Cause Notice dated 10.9.2024 issued to the Chairman and members of the Ad Hoc Committee of Volleyball for unauthorised use of the IOA Pan Card for opening of a Bank Account of the Adhoc Committee of Volleyball and if any disciplinary action is to be taken against the members of the IOA Ad Hoc Committee of Volleyball.

7) To Discuss the issue of the illegal affiliation given by Kalyan Chaubey, Jt. Secretary, IOA to the Taekwondo Federation of India without any approval of the General Assembly of the IOA and despite not having any mandatory requirement of affiliation with the IOC-recognised International Federation of Taekwondo i.e. World Taekwondo, and if any disciplinary action is to be taken against Chaubey.

8) Discuss the powers of the president of the IOA as per the Constitution of the IOA.

9) To discuss the Show Cause Notice dated 16.09.2024 issued to the members of the Finance Committee and if any disciplinary action is to be taken against the members of the Finance Committee of the IOA.

10) To appoint any new committees or commissions in the IOA proposed by the president.

11) To appoint any consultants in the IOA proposed by the president.

Please note this being an SGM, no other agenda items shall be taken up except as provided in the present notice.

It is altogether another matter that the IOA President has already received responses from the members concerned on the show cause notice in which they have raised questions over the haste with which the IOA President has issued them show cause notice based on an anonymous complaint.

Incidentally, the agenda for the SGM listed by the IOA president does not include many of the issues raised by the EC members in their joint letter. Only one of their concerns regarding the powers of the president as per the IOA Constitution is up for discussion in his SGM.