You speak to people, and you understand how much tension has been brewing. After all, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was supposed to have a Special General Meeting (SGM) on October 25, and the massive fissures within the organisation are all out in the open for the world to see. On Wednesday evening, a memo from the office of Kalyan Chaubey, the IOA’s joint secretary and acting CEO, announced that the SGM had been pushed back to November 10 because of ‘unavoidable circumstances’.
The postponement changes little. Will the members rally behind PT Usha, the IOA president, or will they go with the Executive Committee and push the president into a corner? Will Indian sport continue to suffer in the process?
Whatever the outcome of the meeting, the truth is that Indian sport has already started to pay a price. Every other country is already in the Los Angeles 2028 cycle. We in India are not. We are busy with infighting and slander, and that’s been the story of our Olympic sport for months now.
Since the underwhelming Paris 2024 Olympics got over, none of our administrators have actually spoken about plans for LA. All you hear is what will happen within the IOA. While we have seen individuals like Pullela Gopichand and Vimal Kumar speak up on the omission of badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the IOA as a whole is silent. Just a couple of weeks back, we heard that the IOA had multiple meetings with Chris Jenkins, and were assured that certain sports would indeed be included in the Glasgow programme. Nothing came of that, and yet, we have not seen the IOA protest with one voice.
By the time the mess within the IOA is resolved, we will lose a few more months, leaving us further behind in starting our preparations for LA ’28. Take badminton, for example. Mathias Boe, the noted doubles coach, left the scene soon after Paris. We haven’t yet found a coach for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, our best bets going forward.
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While it is not known if Usha will be able to hold her ground, it is understood that something has to give. You speak to both sides, and sense a kind of aggression. There is no chance of a compromise and the meeting being delayed by a fortnight is unlikely to change that reality. In fact, on Wednesday morning, there were rumours that the CEO has put in his papers. It was also being said that Usha has refused to accept the resignation. Within moments, however, someone from the Usha camp dismissed such talk, saying there was no chance of the CEO resigning, as his appointment had been accepted by the IOC. At best, there could be a salary renegotiation, but no resignation.
Anyone who knows Indian sport will also be aware just how much it depends on government support and what the highest powers decide. What will the IOA stalwarts say about the ineligibility of some Executive Committee members, which the president has sought to highlight? From what we know, Usha is preparing a long speech, which she will deliver at the start of the meeting. That’s where she will spell out her agenda for Indian sport. Whether or not the SGM buys it is a different matter altogether.
Amid this colossal mess, one thing is certain. India’s proposed Olympic bid for 2036 has taken a backseat. The needle hasn’t moved in that regard. With the Prime Minister on record saying that India wants to host the biggest show on Earth, it remains to be seen when the IOA wakes up and smells the coffee.
The sports fan is not interested in administrative infighting. They are interested in seeing our athletes performing well on the biggest stage. If that’s what is being sacrificed, it is time to act. November 10 will tell us which way the wind is blowing in the IOA, and if at all Indian Olympic sport will get back on track in the near future.
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