Olympian Shame For India As IOC Suspends IOA!

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for its repeated failure to abide by the constitution and rules set by the apex body. This is the biggest shame and embarrassment possible for the largest and most populated democracy of the world. And ironically this comes just after India’s best ever haul of medals in London Olympics 2012. The decision renders India disqualified to participate in any major international sports events and of course in the Olympics. India now have the unique distinction of sharing the shame with Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. 

Such was the rampant lobbying, corruption and colossal disregard to both national and international decorum in the sports bodies of India in general over the years that this huge embarrassment was in fact anticipated by many. Politics, personal ambitions and corruption have been the distinctive features of the Indian sports bodies, particularly the IOA. Even after the scam of the Commonwealth Games 2012 Delhi the tainted IOA officials did not feel shamed, few of them served jail terms too. But they went about their ‘sports’ business blatantly and shamelessly.  

Suresh Kalmadi, the then IOA president, who spent nearly a year in a Delhi jail acted as nothing had happened and got appointed as president again coming straight out of jail. He was trying for reelection again this year, but other tainted people finally beat him to it in an election decided by the IOA unilaterally and supposedly adhering to a sports code imposed by the Government. It is pity that the Government of India and the Sports Minister never succeed in putting its foot down on such authorities ‘autonomously enabled to loot’. In this shameful hour Indian citizens expect ruthless measures from the Government to end the malaise once and for all.

Olympic medalists and sportsmen all over the country expressed shock and unanimously held the corrupt officials and their personal profit driven strategy responsible for the shame. Many of them also feared that their sports careers with the Indian tag are as good as over. However, all of them and other citizens too looked upon this shame as motive enough to set things right and end the corruption. We too endorse this and want all sports bodies to be totally revamped so that Indian sportsmen come out of their clutch and show the world what they always have been capable of achieving.