IOA go into a huddle

The draft of the proposed sports bill and the preparation for next years Olympics are the items on agenda as the Indian Olympic Associations executive body meets here on Tuesday.

The draft of the proposed sports bill and the preparation for next years Olympics are the items on agenda as the Indian Olympic Associations executive body meets here on Tuesday. For the record the National Sports Federations (NSFs) have already rejected the draft of the legislation,and Tuesdays meeting will not see them change their stand.

Interestingly,the succession issue following the erstwhile IOA president Suresh Kalmadis arrest for graft charges will not be debated.

With Vijay Kumar Malhotra having been already installed as its officiating president in Kalmadis absence,the top brass isnt keen on forcing the matter. Also there was no need to seek a change at the top with IOA elections slated to be held in 2013,they said.

Kalmadi issue isnt on the agenda,so it wont be up for discussion tomorrow. That issue has to be discussed in the general body alone and there is ample of time to do that. Nobody is in the rush, an IOA official said ahead of the meeting.

It is understood that Kalmadi isnt too keen to retain his grip on the top as the IOA chief,even if he walks free of all the charges.

But the only thing that goes against Malhotra is the fact that if the legislation becomes a bill,he is in direct violation of its age and tenure provision of the draft policy. The provision bars the office-bearers from running federations after two terms or after the age of 70.

But sources close to the senior leader were confident that such a scenario was too far fetched.

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