Latest news with #Usha
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
IOA differences resolved, CEO appointment ratified
New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association's executive council, led by president PT Usha, announced on Thursday that it has resolved all internal differences, marking an end to the prolonged standoff. The council members put up a unified front and said they would work together towards India's bid for the 2036 Olympics. Indian Olympic Association President P.T. Usha, second right, talks with Chief Executive Officer Raghuram Iyer during a joint press conference in New Delhi. (AP) IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer, whose appointment was the major bone of contention between Usha and the executive council (EC), sat with the EC members and also addressed the media. IOA Sr vice president Ajay Patel, treasurer Sahdev Yadav, vice president Gagan Narang, joint secretary Kalyan Cahubey and Alaknanda Ashok, and EC members Amitabh Sharma, Harpal Singh, Rohit Rajpal, Dola Banerjee and athletes commission vice chairperson Sharath Kamal were present. 'Everything has been sorted and that is why we have IOA CEO sitting with us. Whatever small internal disputes were there have been resolved,' Usha told reporters. 'We are focussing on the long term goal of transforming India into a global sporting powerhouse. By 2036 we not only want to achieve sustained Olympic success but also bring the Olympic Games to India,' said Usha. The functioning of the IOA had been severely impacted since the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO in January last year. Members of the EC had refused to ratify his appointment, objecting to his pay package of ₹20 lakh per month along with additional perks. The International Olympic Council (IOC) had raised concerns about governance in IOA when an Indian delegation in which Usha and Iyer were also part of, met them in Lausanne to discuss India's bid for the 2036 Olympics. The CEO has an important strategic and administrative role to play in the bid process. It has now been learnt that Iyer's salary has been adjusted a bit but it will be paid from last year January onwards when he was appointed. The truce was reached in the last few days as Sports Minister Manuskh Mandivya helped break the deadlock between Usha and the EC members. Usha too reached out to her colleagues and opened the channels for discussion. It is learnt that a Special General Meeting will be soon called to discuss and approve long pending issues. There are also several financial bills and pending salaries that require approval. The EC members will have a lot at hand in looking after various IOA committees. IOA joint secretary Chaubey said that Iyer's appointment had been ratified at a EC meeting on Thursday. 'There was an EC meeting today and we discussed a lot of things including Raghu Iyer's appointment and that is why he is sitting here among us. 'There have been some differences between us and letters were also exchanged (EC and Usha). But in democracy, there is always a difference of opinion. No house, no organization can completely be flawless. We want to look forward,' said Chaubey. Treasurer Sahdev Yadav also said whatever 'little dispute and differences' were there have been sorted. 'We are all together. We are looking ahead to the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and our Olympic and CWG bid,' said Yadav. Iyer, who was part of the Indian delegation in Lausanne, said the meeting with the IOC was very positive. 'It was attended by the top brass of IOC and the follow up would be that they would come down to India at some point in time very soon. 'We are at the stage of continuous dialogue with the IOC and they informed us a lot about sustainability, athlete-centric work and a lot on the legacy plan in a workshop. As you know, the IOC has a new leader who is driving some changes within the organisation. They are in a pause and reflect mode (with regards to selection of future Olympic host cities).' On Qatar's bid for the 2036 Games, he said, 'it will be premature to say anything because there are still countries jumping in.' As IOA athlete commission vice chairperson, table tennis legend Sharath said IOA will launch athlete centric programmes, aimed at developing structures for mental health support, career-transition guidances and training access beyond the competitive years. 'We will also try to create mentorship, and leadership programmes for our athletes.' A drive will be launched on August 29 -- National Sports Day -- to try and get 10 million children to play any sport. Anti-doping programmes have also been planned.
NDTV
18 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
IOA Puts Forth Mission 2036 With Aim Of Powering Sports, Bringing Olympics To India
With their sights firmly focused on the 2036 Summer Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Thursday said it will be putting into motion Mission 2036, which also aims at transforming India into a sporting powerhouse by the time the Olympic Games come to the country. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) leadership, spearheaded by President P. T. Usha announced the launch of Mission 2036 at a press meet on Thursday. "We are focused on our long-term goal of transforming India into a sporting powerhouse. It's part of the resolve to power through India's sporting aspirations via Mission 2036. We also aim to bring the Olympics to India in 2036," said Usha here on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in October 2023, during the IOC Annual Session in Mumbai, officially expressed India's bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games with Ahmedabad as the venue. Usha and her colleagues in the IOA executive committee had recently participated in a continuous dialogue with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as part of the bidding process for the 2036 Olympics. India will be fighting it out with "Our commitment is to global excellence in sport, and we have taken it as our mission to fulfil that dream. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has said, youth and sports are the engine of India's future, and empowered athletes reflect an empowered Nation. This powerful message is the backbone of our mission to realise this dream. We will work together to build up a strong and sustainable foundation for sporting excellence," said Usha, the legendary sprinter who still holds the best medal haul by an Indian in individual events in the asian Games, which she set by winning four gold and one silver in the 1986 edition in Seoul, South Korea. Usha said as per the Mission 2026 plan, the IOA is also committed to bringing in inclusivity and gender parity in Indian sport. "We are equally committed to making sports an inclusive space for women, for young athletes, for those from tribal areas, and every Indian who dreams of excelling in sports," said Usha. Meanwhile, IOA joint-secretary Kalyan Choubay said it's the IOA's vision to do whatever is required for athlete development. "It is the vision of IOA that India should be the best in sports, and we will do whatever is required for athlete development, which comes with good governance, better infrastructure, and well-educated athletes in terms of anti-doping requirements. "The vision of IOA is to ensure that India becomes a force in sports, and we will do whatever it takes to achieve that. This will happen with athlete development, it will come with good governance that comes with better infrastructure facilities. It also comes by educating athletes in terms of anti-doping measures, by providing NADA (National Anti-Doping Authority) with more equipment to hold more sessions to ensure more sports conclaves, to ensure better coordination from all stakeholders, including the state and central governments, to ensure better coordination with National Sports Federations," said Choubey.
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
IOA EC puts up an united front, insists on working together in push for 2036 Olympics
The Indian Olympic Association put up a united front on Thursday with the entire Executive Council appearing together in public for the first time in almost 18 months, confirming the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as the CEO, and setting up a panel to tackle doping. Raghuram's appointment by Usha in January 2024 at a salary of Rs. 20 lakh per month and other perks had been the biggest bone of contention between IOA president P.T. Usha and other members and had remained unratified. A majority of EC members had even brought in a no-confidence motion against Usha last year before it was dropped. Officially titled 'Powering India's Sporting Aspirations: IOA's Vision 2036' there was no denying the meet was primarily to affirm truce within the IOA. No AGM had been held since March 2023 and a stormy EC meeting in September 2024 had failed to break the impasse. Raghuram, who was also present on the occasion, had continued to discharge his duties and was also part of the Indian delegation to meet IOC in Lausanne last month. 'Everything is sorted and that is why he is sitting here with me. Everything is ratified,' Usha declared, 'Raghu Iyer is the CEO of IOA,' AIFF president Kalyan Choubey insisted and IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav, one of Usha's most vocal opponents, said, 'It's like small bickering and we are back and happy to be together.' The beginning of the end of the deadlock had begun with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya holding informal meetings with Usha and EC members and trying to get them to negotiate. The IOA visit to Lausanne as part of India's bid for the 2036 Olympics, which included ministry officials, and IOC feedback further helped bring about a rapprochement. 'We are focused on our long-term goal of transforming India into a sporting powerhouse. It's part of our resolve to power through India's sporting aspirations via Mission 2036,' Usha said, adding that the IOA was committed to inclusivity and gender parity in Indian sport. 'We are equally committed to making sports an inclusive space for women, young athletes, those from tribal areas and every Indian who dreams of sporting excellence,' she said. On the new Sports Bill, Choubey said that 'it clearly mentions that the government has brought some guidelines and it is not to interfere. If there is any conflict, the rules of the international body will prevail. Idea is not to create any confrontation or confusion, the idea is to work together.' The seven-member anti-doping panel, meanwhile, will be headed by India's Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal after India's poor record was flagged by the IOC.
NDTV
21 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
IOA Ends Feud Over CEO, Sets Up Anti-Doping Panel After IOC Flags Cases
Ending a lengthy feud, the Indian Olympic Association's Executive Council on Thursday ratified the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer and set up a panel to tackle doping after India's poor record was flagged by the IOC during a national delegation's visit to push for the 2036 Olympic bid. The EC members had refused to ratify Iyer's appointment made by President P T Usha in January 2024, the bone of contention being his Rs 20 lakh per month salary along with other perks. However, the differences on this matter were resolved following Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's intervention, paving the way for Iyer's formal appointment. The seven-member anti-doping panel will be headed by former tennis player Rohit Rajpal and include Aparna Popat and sports medicine expert Dr PSM Chandran among others. "The IOC (International Olympic Committee) mentioned high doping cases in India when IOA (delegation) visited Lausanne," said Iyer, who was present during a joint press conference by the IOA EC members and Usha. The IOA delegation to Lausanne last month included sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Usha and Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi among others. India is bidding to host the 2036 Games in Ahmedabad. India had last month topped the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 testing figures among countries which analysed 5,000 or more samples with a high positivity rate of 3.8 per cent for banned substances. Sports Bill welcome After opposing it for a considerable time, the new sports bill, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, was finally welcomed by the IOA. "The IOC was concerned about two-three issues but the ministry consulted the world body and other international federations and then the bill was cleared," Usha said. The bill, once it becomes an act, will lead to the institution of a National Sports Board that will be authorised to grant recognition to national federations and regulate their funding as well. "New National Sports Bill should not be construed as intervention from Sports ministry but as cooperation and coordination with the stakeholders including IOA and NSFs (National Sports Federations)," said IOA joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey. "The new bill was very clear that whenever there is conflict in any provision with the statutes of international federations, those of latter will prevail," added Chaubey, who is also the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IOA ends feud over CEO, sets up anti-doping panel after IOC flags high cases
Ending a lengthy feud, the Indian Olympic Association 's Executive Council on Thursday ratified the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer and set up a panel to tackle doping after India's poor record was flagged by the IOC during a national delegation's visit to push for the 2036 Olympic bid. The EC members had refused to ratify Iyer's appointment made by President P T Usha in January 2024, the bone of contention being his Rs 20 lakh per month salary along with other perks. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics Project Management Management Data Science Product Management Digital Marketing MCA Healthcare MBA Cybersecurity Others healthcare Finance Leadership Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Public Policy PGDM Operations Management Technology others Degree Data Science CXO Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details However, the differences on this matter were resolved following Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya 's intervention, paving the way for Iyer's formal appointment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Rates Undo The seven-member anti-doping panel will be headed by former tennis player Rohit Rajpal and include Aparna Popat and sports medicine expert PSM Chandran among others. "The IOC (International Olympic Committee) mentioned high doping cases in India when IOA (delegation) visited Lausanne," said Iyer, who was present during a joint press conference by the IOA EC members and Usha. Live Events The IOA delegation to Lausanne last month included sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Usha and Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi among others. India is bidding to host the 2036 Games in Ahmedabad. India had last month topped the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 testing figures among countries which analysed 5,000 or more samples with a high positivity rate of 3.8 per cent for banned substances. Sports Bill welcome ============= After opposing it for a considerable time, the new sports bill, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, was finally welcomed by the IOA. "The IOC was concerned about two-three issues but the ministry consulted the world body and other international federations and then the bill was cleared," Usha said. The bill, once it becomes an act, will lead to the institution of a National Sports Board that will be authorised to grant recognition to national federations and regulate their funding as well. "New National Sports Bill should not be construed as intervention from Sports ministry but as cooperation and coordination with the stakeholders including IOA and NSFs (National Sports Federations)," said IOA joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey. "The new bill was very clear that whenever there is conflict in any provision with the statutes of international federations, those of latter will prevail," added Chaubey, who is also the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). PTI
