Lalit Bhanot elected as Secretary General of Indian Olympic Association

Abhay Singh Chautala has been elected as the President of the Indian Olympic Association. Bhanot, who was jailed along with former IOA president Suresh Kalmadi and VK Verma in connection with the Commonwealth Games corruption scam, was elected unopposed despite serious objections from International Olympic Committee.

The Indian Olympic Association may have elected its new office bearers, but the threat of them being banned by the International Olympic committee still exists.

The IOA polls were scheduled for December 5, but with Randhir Singh having withdrawn from the Presidential race, Chautala was elected the IOA President.

Bhanot, who was jailed and later released on bail in connection with the Commonwealth Games corruption scam, was the only candidate for the post after Volleyball Federation of India Secretary General K Murugan and Judo Federation of India General Secretary Mukesh Kumar decided to withdraw from the fray.

 

Virendra Nanavati of the Swimming Federation of India will become a senior Vice-President with no other candidate in the fray while the decks are cleared for Lalit Bhanot to take over as Secretary General. Anil Khanna of All India Tennis Association will have no contest for the treasurer's post.

 Meanwhile, IOA Acting President Vijay Kumar Malhotra had a series of meeting with senior officials in the wake of the International Olympic Committee's latest threat to suspend India if the IOA followed the Government's Sports Code for the
December 5 polls.

 IOA sources said that a two-member IOA delegation is likely to meet Sports Minister Jitendra Singh tomorrow to find a solution to the issue which has put a question mark on the election.

 The IOA delegation comprising Narinder Batra and eminent lawyer R K Anand will meet the Sports Minister and other  senior officials. They are expected to go to Lausanne to have a meeting with top IOC officials on Saturday or Sunday.
 

The IOC Ethics Commission's recommendations state that tainted officials like Kalmadi, Bhanot and Verma, who all were jailed in connection with the Commonwealth Games corruption scam, cannot be part of the Olympic movement.