IOA president PT Usha and EC member accuse each other of violating IOA constitution
Conflict in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has worsened as president PT Usha and executive committee members accuse each other of violating the IOA constitution and Sports Code by holding positions.
Usha had issued notifications to five EC members on September 10 after receiving a complaint that they were holding positions in IOA against the rules of the Sports Code.
Responding to the accusations, vice-president and EC member Rajlaxmi Singh Deo has retaliated against Usha, casting doubt on her election as IOA president. She has gained support from other members of the EC, as it has been discovered.
PT Usha appointed IOA president in December 2022
Usha was one of the eight SOM chosen to participate in the IOA General Assembly as voting members by the Athletes Commission. In December 2022, she was appointed President of IOA.
“You may be aware that your ‘Proposer’ and ‘Seconder’ for your nomination as President were not ratified or approved by the General Body of IOA, therefore your election as president of the Indian Olympic Association is strictly questionable,” Rajlaxmi Deo wrote to Usha on Thursday in a letter.
Rajlaxmi alleges Usha’s election as president of IOA is “illegal”
She pointed to the IOA Constitution (Art 3.7 & 3.8) which outlines the procedure for nominating and electing the
Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit (SOM) to the EC of IOA, claiming that Usha’s presidency of IOA is “illegal.” “Your feedback is required on this matter to be shared with the EC and all relevant parties,” she wrote, marking a copy to Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Jerome Poivey from the NOC Relations Department at the International Olympic Committee.
IOA is in crisis as Usha and most of the 15-member executive council are at odds with each other. The issue at hand is the naming of CEO Raghu Ram Iyer in January. The conflict has intensified following the
Paris Olympics, causing significant disruptions to the body’s operations.
Apart from Rajlaxmi Deo, Ajay Patel, Sahdev Yadav, Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, and Alaknanda Ashok have also been accused by a complainant of violating the Sports Code by serving on the IOA EC. Rajlaxmi Deo expressed her disappointment in Usha for acknowledging an ‘anonymous’ letter, and reiterated that the proper procedures were followed in appointing EC members.
“Before sending the letter to selected EC members, you should have checked the complainant’s credibility instead of immediately accusing the members of not being eligible for IOA’s EC election. Your actions are intentionally malicious, as you are trying to silence the voices of members who have been consistently pointing out and objecting to your continuous and obvious violations of the IOA constitution,” she wrote.
