Games they play

HE has had a long stint as IOA president,besides having a strong hold on the national volleyball body. He is also vice-president of the Olympic Council of Asia and has held several positions in other sports bodies,nationally and internationally.

What has worked for him: Sporting background,deep pockets,influence and leadership skills have seen him survive tough factional fights in IOA. His family owns the Thanthi newspaper group and runs several colleges and has industries across Tamil Nadu. A national-level rifle shooter once and a popular volleyball administrator down south,he is an old hand at IOA’s vote-bank politics.

Friends and foes: When VC Shukla had a political fall-out,Adityan got political support to overthrow him as IOA president in the late ’80s. Adityan,Ashwini Kumar and Randhir Singh joined hands to keep Suresh Kalmadi away from IOA. The early ’90s saw a bitter IOA election with Kalmadi challenging Adityan again. By virtue of being an MP from the ruling party,Kalmadi was seen as the odds on favourite. But Adityan won. The reason,old-timers say,is that with elections in Tamil Nadu scheduled after the IOA polls,Congress didn’t want to be seen as plotting against the Thanthi group’s owner,Adityan. He withdrew from the next elections when Randhir joined hands with Kalmadi. With Randhir getting IOC membership ahead of him,Adityan has become less active in the IOA.

Ashwini Kumar

(IOA Life President,Honorary IOC member)

One of India’s most decorated Olympic officials,Ashwini Kumar was Director General of the Border Security Force,Punjab Police and the Himachal Police. Along with Raja Bhalender Singh,he represented the country at various international forums for over half a century. His 27-year stint as a member of the International Olympic Committee ended in 2000 but at 90,he still remains an honorary member of the sporting world’s most influential body. Kumar,Indian Hockey Federation president for 16 years,was also elected life president of the Indian Olympic Association.

What has worked for him: He was a proven leader of men during his sensitive police postings and was associated with the Nehru-Gandhi family. All this meant that Ashwini held his own in the IOC,a body dominated by Europeans. His unchallenged tenure at home made him a core member of the Old Boys’ Union that IOC is.

Friends and foes: When Kalmadi tried to get into the executive of the IOA in the ’80s,Ashwini,along with Randhir Singh (son of Raja Bhalender Singh) moved court to scuttle the attempt. “We spent Rs 1 crore on that case and stopped Kalmadi’s entry,” says Kumar. Kalmadi’s entry into the IOA executive saw Kumar and Randhir drift part. When it came to naming an IOC member in 2001,Kumar wanted Adityan,and not Randhir,to take his place. But Randhir got in. IOC presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch and Jacques Rogge are Kumar’s buddies.

Randhir Singh

(IOA Secretary General,IOC member)

Like his father Raja Bhalender Singh,Randhir Singh too has made national and international Olympic bodies his second home. He has been secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association since 1987 and that of the Olympic Council of Asia since 1991. In 2001,he replaced Ashwini Kumar as the IOC member.

What has worked for him: Lineage,for one,and his sporting credentials. Following his father at various sporting events,he grew up rubbing shoulders with sports’ top officials. His royal bonding with Kuwait’s ruling Al-Sabah family,that has a strong hold over the Asian Olympic body for years,is famous. Being a six-time Olympian and an Asian Games gold medalist just adds to the aura of the one-time sharp shooter. But,old timers say that he is more popular on the IOC circuit for his hunting tales.

Friends and foes: The Randhir-Kalmadi relationship has several complex and intriguing layers. They have been in opposite camps during several bitter IOA elections but joined hands to ease out long-standing president Sivanthi Adityan in the mid ’90s. They have shared common platforms,jointly advocated India’s bid for big sporting events but together,they aren’t exactly a deadly tag team. Randhir has huge influence over state Olympics associations in the north and the national federation.

Suresh Kalmadi (IOA President)

After entering the Indian Olympics Association in the late ’80s,during his first term as a Rajya Sabha MP,Kalmadi became the IOA president in 1996. He also happens to be the president of the Asian Athletics Association.

What has worked for him: His political clout and his uncanny knack of keeping everyone around him happy. Personal equations with fellow IOA members has meant that he been president of a body that has members from different political parties. His hold over the Pune Lok Sabha seat and the resultant influence on Maharashtra’s power equations makes him an important man in the Congress.

Friends and foes: Despite being constantly involved in one-upmanship and power posturing with Randhir Singh,he presents a picture of bonhomie with the IOA secretary general in public. Lalit Bhanot,secretary of the Athletics Federation of India,is a close ally. Bhanot has been responsible for warding off troubles that Kalmadi faces within the IOA. His political links ensure that he can swing votes of state Olympics associations that are mostly controlled by MPs,MLAs or ever bureaucrats.

Lalit Bhanot

(IOA Joint Secretary)

The Suresh Kalmadi strongman was a state-level thrower and physical education director of a Delhi college before he became active in Indian athletics. He has been a long-serving official of the Athletics Federation of India and Delhi Olympic Association.

What has worked for him: By virtue of being on the national and international circuit for over two decades,he is aware of the number needed to stay in power. Considering his modest sporting career or the lack of any political connection,he isn’t a threat to the big players. Is the perfect No. 2 that every potential No.1 hopes to have by his side.

Friends and foes: He was secretary when Randhir Singh was president of the Delhi Olympic Association. He was also secretary when Kalmadi was the president of the national athletics body. After Kalmadi lost two IOA elections because of the strong Adityan-Randhir clique,Bhanot intervened. He brokered peace between the two men and that paved the way for Kalmadi’s entry into the IOA.

V K Malhotra

(IOA Senior vice-president)

The BJP leader led the delegation in 1978 that bid for the ’82 Asian Games and was named as head of the subsequently formed organising committee. When the Congress came to power,Malhotra was replaced by V C Shukla. Malhotra’s long association with archery’s national body made him an influential member in the IOA,of which he is a long-serving vice-president. His rapport with representatives of sporting federations has given him a strong voice in the body.

The Chautalas

While Ajay represents table tennis,brother Abhay is in charge of boxing. Just before the 2000 IOA election,there was an attempt by the Chautalas to overthrow Kalmadi. It was rumoured that Randhir threw his weight behind the Haryana politicians. A lavish party was held on a cruise anchored at the Sydney Harbour during the 2000 Games in a bid to woo voters. High drama was on the cards as the IOA elections were to be held in Panchkula. Kalmadi took no chances and saw to it that the election took place in Delhi. The Chautala challenge fizzled out and Kalmadi won unopposed.

The IOA

The Indian Olympic Association has 41 members who either represent the state Olympic unit or National Sports Federations (NSF). Each NSF has three votes while the state Olympic association has two.

Lesser-known big names names in the IOA

Chief Ministers: Tarun Gogoi (Assam),Lal Thanhawla (Mizoram),Neiphiu Rio (Nagaland).

Union Ministers: Sharad Pawar,Praful Patel.

States Ministers: Rockybul Hussain (Assam),J.P. Nadda (HP),Samir Dey (Orissa)

MPs /MLAs: Yashwant Sinha,Anurag Thakur,Bijoy Koijam,B P Baishya.

Other famous names: Jagdish Tytler,J S Gehlot,Ajay Singh Chautala,K P Singh Deo,R K Anand

Once upon a time in IOA

Ashwini Kumar got a big amount cleared by PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for laying astro turfs at hockey arenas around the country. Apparently, Kalmadi got a whiff of it and met Vajpayee along with a few influential parliamentarians. India’s lament for lack of astro turf continues as Kalmadi allegedly managed to channel the money to host the Afro-Asian Games.

Just last month,it was discovered that the IOA had been violating the IOC charter for 80 years. Around the world,it’s only the national federations that have voting rights,but in IOA,state Olympic associations too have been voting.

For the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad,which was inaugurated after the All-African Games in Nigeria,India promised free air tickets to all athletes. Based on the figures provided by the IOA,the government allocated funds for the travel of guests. But when the time came to book the return tickets for the African athletes,the figure overshot the budget. Reason: No one had anticipated that athletes who had been flown to Hyderabad from Nigeria would be taking separate flights to reach their respective countries.

An IOA official finally got appointed as the Chef de Mission for Universiade after hectic lobbying. With the government taking time to clear athletes for the trip,the chef de mission feared his foreign trip might not materialise. That’s when he took off,to be the only chef de mission at Universaide to land without a team to manage.

POWER

The IOA executive can affiliate or disaffiliate a national federation. There have been times this authority was misused. When those at the helm feel that a member isn’t on their side,a power struggle is orchestrated in the federation it represents. Eventually,the rebel faction gets affiliated and the vote is secured. When a less popular sport attempts to get affiliated,a promise of life-time royalty is floated as a pre-condition. A case in point is the ongoing hockey mess. Former India skipper Pargat Singh called IOA president Kalmadi “sports mafia” when he allegedly tried to strike a deal with him. “Kalmadi’s lackeys came to me and said in no unclear terms that Hockey Punjab would get affiliation as soon as we agree to support Kalmadi for the president’s post,” says Pargat Singh.

IOA members

Like all national Olympic bodies,IOA too gets a slice of the sponsorship that the International Olympics Committee gets from the lucrative television deals it strikes for the global test of the summer and winter Olympics.

It is the discretion of the IOA executive to distribute these funds to federations or use it for the spread of the Olympic movement in the country.

IOA is an influential liasoning entity between the federations and the Sports Ministry. Over the years,IOA members have had little accountability for the unlimited funds they got from the government.

Top officials are globe-trotters who jet-set around the world,attending meetings or being guests at mega sporting events.

IOC members

Every four years,they are wooed by nations with dreams of hosting the Olympics. History has shown that host nations have extended favours to not just IOC members but also their family to get to host the Games.

IOC members travel first class and in luxury cars that take them to five-stars hotels.

They get invited to top parties by sponsors and are guests of honour at big sporting events.

Free life-long medical facility is extended to them.