Ending a prolonged standoff, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) executive council (EC) on Thursday ratified the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as chief executive officer.
The EC also announced the formation of a panel to address the country’s doping concerns, an issue flagged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during India’s recent pitch for the 2036 Olympic Games.
Iyer’s appointment, made by IOA president PT Usha in January 2024, had been held up due to opposition from EC members over his remuneration package of Rs 20 lakh per month, along with additional perks. However, the impasse was resolved following the intervention of Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, clearing the way for Iyer’s official appointment.
At a press conference following the EC meeting on Thursday, Usha also launched Mission 2036, which aims to elevate India’s global sporting profile.
“We are focused on our long-term goal of transforming India into a sporting powerhouse. It’s part of the resolve to power through India’s sporting aspirations via Mission 2036. We also aim to bring the Olympics to India in 2036,” Usha said.
Meanwhile, in response to concerns raised by the International Olympic Committee regarding India’s doping record, the IOA has constituted a seven-member anti-doping panel led by former Davis Cup player Rohit Rajpal, with former shuttler Aparna Popat and sports medicine expert Dr PSM Chandran as the members, along with four others.
“The IOC mentioned high doping cases in India when the IOA (delegation) visited Lausanne,” Iyer said at the joint press meet alongside Usha and other EC members.
India had last month topped the World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2023 testing figures among countries which analysed 5,000 or more samples with a high positivity rate of 3.8 per cent for banned substances.
