NEW DELHI: After giving it a more than long rope, the Indian Olympic Association finally cracked the whip on an intransigent Indian Golf Union Friday, appointing a four-member governance committee to administer the sport in the country in the lead up to the Olympics in Tokyo next year.
The IGU has already availed four extensions to its interim recognition and almost a two-year time since it was suspended by the Sports Ministry in 2017, the last of which ended on June 30. For the record, IGU held its last annual general meeting and elections on October 28, 2016.
Kavita Singh, president of the Women’s Golf Association of India, will chair the committee, which also includes Mukesh Kumar, Onkar Singh and Vir Srivastava.
Among other things, the committee will enable the participation of Indian athletes and officials in events serving to help qualify for Tokyo 2020.
In a letter to the Lt. General Devraj Anbu, president of the IGU, the IOA has stated that even though the IGU continues to be a member of the IOA, it would do so without voting rights, which would be restored only after a fresh set of office-bearers are elected as per a new, amended constitution in line with the National Sports Development Code 2011.
“IOA president Narinder Batra and secretary general Rajeev Mehta met Antony Scanlon, executive director of the International Golf Federation, on May 6 in Gold Coast to discuss on working together to resolve the situation. It was then agreed that a golf governance committee would be formed to reform governance, liase with all stakeholders, ensure compliance of norms and help IGU conduct elections,” the letter states.
Ad-hoc committee for Assam Olympic Association
Meanwhile, the IOA has also formed an ad-hoc committee for the Assam Olympic Association (AOA), citing its inability to hold elections on time. The decision was taken, IOA said, since the AOA had announced it would hold an AGM and elections on February 24 but failed to do so.
The three-member committee, including Mushtaq Ahmed, SM Bali and Sunil Elangbam, has been authorised to hold elections to AOA within six months.
