What’s the story?
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel was live on Twitter this morning for a question and answer session with his followers. The honourable Sports Minister tweeted that he wants to reform them (referring to the IOA) and not ban them.The much-talked about Lodha Committee was the first significant move that the Supreme Court took towards cleaning up the sports bodies in our country.
Vijay Goel made a strong statement by imposing a ban on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after it failed to give any reply to the Sports Ministry questioning the organisation’s appointment of Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as Life Presidents.
In case you didn’t know..
Suresh Kalmadi was imprisoned for nine months in jail after being charged with allegations of corruption regarding the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He was released on bail pending appeal to Delhi High Court and has denied any illegal activities. While Abhay Singh Chautala has also been found guilty of unrelated corrupt charges in an ongoing court case.
The heart of the matter
On Friday, several sportspersons including legendary spinner Bishan Bedi and Badminton star Jwala Gutta signed a writ petition to enact the recommendations of the of the apex court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee for all sports in the country. It was filed in the form of a PIL following the Supreme Court passed the final order after accepting its Justice Lodha Committee’s conditions for sweeping reforms in the BCCI.
Olympic Gold medallist Abhinav Bindra too lauded the Sports Ministry’s decision to suspend the IOA, stating that it was a “good step” to honor the scam-filled administration.
What next?
The Indian Olympic Association will have to wait till it can function properly as they are basically a void organistaion till the ban is lifted. As per the reports of siasat.com, Goel said, “The IOA now can’t take any financial assistance, facilities and privileges from the government till the time they are suspended.”
Sportskeeda's take
With the increasing amount of corrupt activities revolving around various sports activities in India, it is a very positive move made by the Government of India to curb corruption in sports.
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