Will not step down as IOA President: Kalmadi

By ANI
Monday, January 24, 2011

RANCHI/NEW DELHI - After being sacked as the Chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, a defiant Suresh Kalmadi on Monday refused to comment on the matter, but made it clear that he will not step down from his other post of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President.

“Commonwealth Games were organized in an excellent manner, we got the maximum number of medals ever and the whole world is talking about how India organized the games. Now the Commonwealth Games are over and it has nothing to do with Indian Olympic Association,” Kalmadi told reporters in Ranchi today.

Kalmadi, who was under fire for alleged financial mismanagement in the conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has been removed as the Chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

Kalmadi’s close aide and Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Secretary General Lalit Bhanot has also been removed with immediate effect.

“Kalmadi and Bhanot have been directed to handover charge to Jarnail Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Organizing Committee, who is also a Member, Executive Board, Organizing Committee, CWG, 2010,” said a Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports release.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 6 carried out raids on Kalmadi’s aides and companies that were connected to the overlays in the sporting event.

Carrying out the raids at ten locations across Delhi and NCR, the investigating agency lodged a fourth FIR in connection with the financial irregularities during the conduct of the sporting extravaganza.

The CBI had earlier conducted raids at Kalmadi”s home and offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, as part of its ongoing investigations into the multi-crore sporting extravaganza.

The raids were conducted in the wake of reports that some crucial documents related to Commonwealth Games deals have gone missing. (ANI)

Filed under: Sports

Tags: ,
YOUR VIEW POINT
NAME : (REQUIRED)
MAIL : (REQUIRED)
will not be displayed
WEBSITE : (OPTIONAL)
YOUR
COMMENT :