IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav says IOA president PT Usha ‘cooking blatant lies and shedding crocodile tears’; says no discussion was held on Paris Olympics athletes’ felicitation

Hyderabad: The ongoing feud between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and the executive committee members, including other office bearers, got more murkier when the IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav said Usha’s claim of the IOA executive committee members not agreeing on a proposal to felicitate Paris Olympians as a blatant lie.

In a letter to the media, Yadav said there was neither a discussion with the members nor an official proposal in writing for organising a felicitation ceremony. “In the press note released by Dr PT Usha dated 30 September 2024, mentioning the insensitivity of the EC members in failing to organise a felicitation Ceremony for the Indian medalists in Paris Olympics and her repeated efforts and proposals is nothing but blatant lies which has been cooked by the President every now and then and shedding crocodile tears in front of the media,” Yadav said.

He added that the IOA president is putting down the EC members without any proof or genuine ground and added that he failed to understand how the IOA president is not working for the benefit of the athletes and the organisation. “Being the head of the family, instead of taking charge of responsibilities as per the IOA Constitution and working for the benefit of the Organization and the athletes, we fail to understand why the President, IOA is spreading lies across the whole country, to put down the EC members, which does have any proof nor hold any genuine ground,” the letter read.

Rebutting Usha’s claims that the finance committee blocked funds intended to support Indian athletes’ preparation for the Paris Olympics 2024, Yadav said he has cleared all proposals well within time. “This is for the information of everyone that any proposal recommended and approved by the EC members and finance committee has been paid without any delay by Mr Sahdev Yadav, Treasurer of IOA,” he added.

India won six medals in the Paris Olympics 2024, including two bronze medals from Manu Bhaker, making her the first athlete to win multiple medals in a single edition of the Olympics.

Usha had accused the EC members of not wanting to celebrate the athletes’ success. “These athletes have made the nation proud, and it is the responsibility of the IOA to celebrate their achievements with the respect they deserve. It is deeply concerning that, even after returning home in mid-August, the EC has failed to discuss or take any steps towards organising a formal felicitation ceremony,” Usha had said in a statement released to the media.

She had accused that a proposal for a preparatory grant of INR two lakh for each Olympic-bound athlete and INR one lakh for each coach had been blocked by the finance committee, headed by Sahdev Yadav.